Fan made 7,000-mile trip to watch game against PalaceEverton give him tour of ground with Roberto Martínez

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Everton tried to make the best of a bad situation by giving a Malaysian fan the VIP treatment after severe weather forced the late postponement of their Premier League game against Crystal Palace.

Everton (@Everton) Bet he wasn't expecting this on the flight over @ric_wee. He's on radio and SSN soon too #EFC pic.twitter.com/leK3Prhb2P

Ric Wee had made a 7,000-mile journey from Kuala Lumpur, and after spotting him tweeting that he had been an Everton supporter for 30 years and that he had been close to realising his "dream" of watching the team play live for the first time, they located him in the ground before introducing him to the players and manager Roberto Martínez in the Goodison dressing room.

Everton (@Everton) Our Malaysian friend meets Roberto & Baines. Happy we've been able to put a smile on @ric_wee's face. pic.twitter.com/OjKFFOU72r

Much to his bemusement, Lee then woke up on Thursday to find out he had become a media star. Invited back for a tour of the ground with the former centre-forward Graeme Sharp, he was greeted with a barrage of flashes from photographers and, somewhat inevitably, a Sky interviewer.

Unfortunately, he said, his chance had gone. He had to fly back to Malaysia and was not able to take in Everton's FA Cup tie against Swansea on Sunday.

RW (@ric_wee) Today @Everton just prove again that its the People's Club taking extra effort to connect with fans. Salute the people running the club.

"I'm leaving tonight, I'm going to see my wife who is working in Paris and I'll meet her over there for Valentine's Day, then on Saturday we are going back to Malaysia," he told Sky Sports News.

Asked if he would return to try and see Everton in actual action, he said: "Next time I'll make sure the weather is good. I'm sure my chance will come again. Subject to affordability and budget I'll probably come back next year."

RW (@ric_wee) Finally, 30 years since supporting @Everton, will b watching EFC "live" for 1st time. @MyToffees pic.twitter.com/bC6mY5meT8

On Wednesday the Met Office issue red warnings – the highest possible – for parts of Wales and north-west England, with gusts reaching 80-100mph, while heavy rain wreaked havoc on traffic networks and a busy evening football schedule.