A Liverpool FC fan found a long lost friend at Anfield in a chance reunion after losing touch 51 years ago.
James McCarthy, who lives in Woolton Village, attended the Liverpool FC v LASK match on Thursday, November 30 at Anfield. The season ticket holder, 67, usually arrives early for the games, but that day he got to the ground 10 minutes before the match started. He noticed the man sitting next to him was not his usual neighbour and the pair made a few comments during the first half. However, James was to soon realise his fellow match-goer was far from a stranger.
Speaking to the ECHO, James said: “The guy sitting next to me, I didn’t know. He was small, with glasses and a hat on. He was about my age and we had a little chit-chat in the first half.
“At half time we started talking about social media. I asked if he used it and he said he used Twitter [now X] and had 7,000 followers and I said so do I. I showed him my phone and he saw my surname. “He asked if I went to Cardinal Allen and I said yes and he said ‘it’s me, Colin.”
Colin McCabe, 67, was James’ best friend in school – Cardinal Allen Grammar School, now known at Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School in West Derby. They had sat next to one another in alphabetical order and soon became “really good friends”. James said he remembers Colin as a really good footballer who often came round to his house.
However in 1972, when they were 16, the friends parted ways after Colin moved to London. Colin did write to James, however he didn’t put his address on and also wrote James’ postcode incorrectly, meaning the letter arrived three months late. James said he couldn’t contact Colin via a call, as 51 years ago they didn’t have a phone, meaning the best friends lost touch. James made several unsuccessful attempts to find Colin through the years.
But James said he believes in “fate” and a number of coincidences led to him and Colin meeting again.
He told the ECHO: “I made sure to grab Colin’s number quickly and I rang it there and then to make sure it was the right number. It’s a lovely story. I posted it on X and the whole thing went crazy. “We have spoken briefly since and have been texting. We’re planning to meet up next week. He’s such a nice guy and it was such a shame we lost contact. We both had similar interests, both liked rock music and football.”
