Hero West Ham fan ‘Knollsy’ given standing ovation as he takes his seat for Leeds clash after fighting off AZ mob
WEST HAM fan “Knollsy” was given a standing ovation from the Hammers faithful after his heroics during the crowd trouble at AZ Alkmaar.
Dutch ultras attempted to storm the away end and attack West Ham supporters following David Moyes’ side’s triumph in their Europa Conference League semi-final on Thursday.
But Knollsy, real name Chris Knoll, could be seen stopping the AZ thugs getting to the travelling fans as he fought them off at the top of the stairs.
He made his triumphant return to the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon for West Ham‘s clash with Leeds.
And he was given a warm reception by his fellow Irons supporters as they stood to applaud him as he made his way to his seat ahead of the game.
One West Ham fan also shared a picture with “Knollsy” on the tube on the way to the game.
West Ham fan Freddie Bonfanti was in the crowd on Thursday night and took to social media to post: “Knollsy the legend. Stopped the home fans from getting to the players’ families.
“We were stormed by AZ’s supporters. Knollsy has recently had a hip replacement and simply could not run.
“He is also a proud man and he was genuinely concerned about the players’ partners and ex-West Ham players sitting all around us.
“He did what he had to do. I am proud to call him a mate and glad he stopped what could have been a much worse incident.
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“We were sitting behind [West Ham defender] Thilo Kehrer’s girlfriend. Knollsy was worried about her and walked to the top of the stairwell, fending off the storming Alkmaar fans.
“He is a lovely bloke and did what he felt was right at the time. He stopped those fans.”
London-born Alkmaar boss Pascal Jansen admitted he was “ashamed” of the ugly scenes, while Moyes also revealed how his elderly father was caught up in the mayhem.
The West Ham boss said: “I can’t explain what happened and why it happened. The players were involved because it was the family section. That was probably the reason for the reaction.
“I don’t want that in any way to blight the night because the West Ham fans weren’t looking for trouble. Hopefully they’ll look into it.
“My family were there and I had friends in that section. You’re hoping they would try and get themselves away from it. I didn’t recognise it because I was too happy.
“Security wanted to take me inside but I had to make sure my players weren’t involved.”
Lucas Paqueta, Aaron Cresswell, and Flynn Downes were all involved in the chaos too and were held back by security and stewards.
Director of football Mark Noble tried in vain to restrain Michail Antonio, who leapt over advertising hoardings to defend the fans and families.
Members of the Irons’ coaching staff – including Kevin Nolan – were seen berating stewards for their failure to intervene.
While captain Declan Rice and forward Jarrod Bowen were also seen confronting members of the crowd, with the former appearing to throw an object in their direction.
Meanwhile, West Ham’s match with Leeds comes as the club celebrate reaching the Europa Conference League final.
They will face Fiorentina on June 7 as they bid to end their 43-year wait for a trophy.