The smile is back on Callum Mann’s face this week after West Ham pulled out all the stops to make up for the youngster’s FA Cup heartache.
The eight-year-old was caught on camera in floods of tears as Championship side Nottingham Forest demolished the Hammers 5-0 in last month’s third round tie.
West Ham officials launched an appeal to identify the youngster and when his father, Jason, came forward, the whole family were invited to last weekend’s Premier League clash with Southampton.
Callum must have feared the worst when West Ham fell behind against Southampton but goals from Matt Jarvis, Carlton Cole and Kevin Nolan secured three crucial points which took the Upton Park side into the top half of the table.
Callum and his father visited the dressing room to see manager Sam Allardyce and the players and also met joint chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold before watching the match from the directors’ box.
Jason said: “After what happened at Forest this was a complete shock to us,” he said. “We went there, we support West Ham and we go through whatever. There were another 3,000 West Ham fans there that were disappointed that day and we’ve just been lucky, sat in the right place at the right time.
“We do appreciate everything they’ve done for us.”
Sullivan said: “I was delighted to welcome Callum and his family to the directors’ box. The away game at Forest was a difficult afternoon for everyone at the club and we wanted to offer Callum this chance on behalf of all of the fans that travelled that day.”
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