Video: How did an Irish fan get onto the Estonian bench last week?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUtrBME-ynU

There were hundreds and thousands of Irish fans that weren’t able to join the party in Tallinn last Friday night, but one fan simply wasn’t going to be denied.

Conor Cunningham, from Ballincollig, made his way to Tallinn last week via Cork, London, Stockholm and Riga and after nearly 24 hours getting there, there was no way he wasn’t going to make his way into the A Le Coq Arena.

When his hunt for tickets went unfulfilled before the game, Conor made his way through an unguarded entrance at the stadium and found a bag of balls and an Estonian tracksuit. Immediately sniffing an opportunity, he donned the tracksuit and made his way past the unknowing security guards, onto the pitch and onto the Estonian bench, recording every moment for posterity.

Conor was eventually spotted by a suspicious UEFA official and moved back into the stand, but his fun didn’t stop there. At the end of the match, chancing his arm yet again, he made his way onto the pitch and celebrated with the Irish players.

He then followed them into the tunnel and made another video of Robbie Keane and Keith Andrews being interviewed (see below), before stadium officials grew suspicious about an Estonian being so happy in defeat, asked him for his non-existent matchday pass and when he couldn’t produce it, he was told to make himself scarce.

Not that Conor was too upset, his work here was done and he was delighted after becoming Ireland’s answer to Karl Power, the famous fan who stood beside the Manchester United team in a photo before a Champions League game, blagged his way onto Centre Court in Wimbledon and even took Michael Schumacher’s place on the winner’s podium after the British Grand Prix.

Conor is already thinking of repeating his deeds at the Euros next summer, but after carrying out a scheme like this, surely he should be brought as an honorary squad member?

It took some balls to pull it off and for that he should be saluted.