From good deed to dream come true

FOR one soccer fan, celebrations of Ireland’s qualification for the European Championships finals were more prolonged than planned, thanks to a chance encounter with defender Sean St Ledger.

Graham Lennon, a locksmith from Blanchardstown, Dublin, was driving to his office in Dunboyne, Co Meath, on Wednesday afternoon when he spotted St Ledger on the side of the road in Cabra trying to hail a taxi into town.

Graham immediately turned his van around and stopped to offer the Leicester City star a lift into the city centre.

En route, St Ledger readily agreed to stop off for a few minutes at the home of Graham’s friend Richard Kearney in Sherrard St to meet a few other fans. There he posed for photos with Richard’s one-year-old son Adam.

“Sean was the perfect gentleman,” said Graham. “He’s a very genuine person and he put a lot of effort in to make everyone happy.”

Afterwards, the soccer star invited his new friend into Kehoe’s pub on South Anne St, where he met fellow players including Richard Dunne, Simon Cox, Stephen Ward, Aiden McGeady and Paul McShane.

“The lads were just looking forward to the finals in Poland and Ukraine. They were still on a high from the night before.

“It was a great experience as it wasn’t expected,” recalled Graham, who was in Paris in 2009 when St Ledger and the team suffered the infamous Thierry Henry “Hand of God” episode.

Although as an Aston Villa supporter, Graham was delighted to meet Richard Dunne. He was even more thrilled to learn that his new favourite Irish player, St Ledger, was also a Villa fan since childhood.

Picture: Locksmith Graham Lennon, fourth from left, celebrates with, from left, Stephen Hunt, Richard Dunne, Andy Keogh, Sean St Ledger, Stephen Ward and Simon Cox.