17 August 2023 , 19:40
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Regulars at one pub have a special reason to roar on the Lionesses on Sunday.
The family of England’s Ella Toone will be at the Union Arms to watch the World Cup Final. A giant mural of the 23-year-old is painted on the side of the pub in Toone’s hometown of Tyldesley in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The bar went wild for her piledriver against Australia in the semi-final on Wednesday.
Landlady Sharon Mattin said: “We knew it was going to be her game. We can go all the way!” There was a massive cheer at the pub when Toone celebrated her goal by kissing a tattoo on her wrist – a dedication to her mates.
The Man Utd star said: “That was for them – they have reminded me before every game to do it so I wasn’t going to forget.” At Fred Longworth High School, Toone was the only girl on the football team. PE teacher Chris Nuttall, 38, said: “You could see how determined she was. You could tell she was going to go on to great things in terms of her football career.”
Ella Toone with her partner Joe Bunney (Joe Bunney Instagram)Olympic and World 800m silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson, an old school friend of Toone, said: “There was absolutely no way she wasn’t going to make it. She’s very good.” Toone remembered: “All the teachers, all my friends, all the pupils, they were all really good.
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“It is amazing how much is being done now to encourage girls to play football.” Her parents, Nick and Karen, travel everywhere to watch her play. She is also supported by her boyfriend, Joe Bunney, 29, a professional footballer with Stalybridge Celtic.