Leicester fan’s faith pays off

A Secret Harbour window cleaner has been handsomely rewarded for faith in his boyhood soccer team, winning $31,702 from a $13 bet after Leicester City were crowned unexpected English champions.

Wayne Horsfield has supported the Foxes since he was a child growing up in Leicester and adopted the team’s blue and white colours for his window cleaning business in Australia after moving here 10 years ago.

He was one of a lucky few people to make the bold call of backing the rank outsiders to win the Premier League this season in what has gone down as one of the biggest upsets in sporting history.

Initially putting only $2 on Claudio Ranieri’s men to do the unthinkable on mobile app Sportsbet, Mr Horsfield increased the bet to $13, at odds of 3000-1.

As Leicester’s dream moved closer to becoming a reality week-on-week, he was faced with the decision of whether to cash out early and ensure a sizeable windfall or continue and pursue the maximum prize.

Mr Horsfield turned down $28,000, but when the eventual champions beat Swansea City 4-0 in the early hours of April 24, the nerves finally got to him and he cashed in, winning $31,702.

Although Leicester were yet to be crowned champions at that time and he stood to win $39,000 if he had held out longer, Mr Horsfield said it was a dream come true.

“I wasn’t nervous at all until about four or five weeks ago, when they told me it was worth $28,000 — from that stage I was nervous every game,” he said.

“Two weeks ago when they played, I was considering whether to take the money or not.

“Everyone was telling me to take it, but I hung on until the next game.

“When they won the next match 4-0 (against Swansea City) I rang up the next morning and it was worth over $31,700.

“I came off the phone and discussed it with my wife and a friend and decided to cash out.”

The money has bought Mr Horsfield a new VF2 Commodore and has covered the cost of a family trip back to the UK.

Despite delight at the win, he said his wife Claire was happy the anxious ordeal was over.

“My wife had had enough of my nerves with it all — I constantly had my fingers crossed,” Mr Horsfield said.

“It was something that was on my mind a lot.”

As reported byThe West Australian , Mandurah resident Keith Granger also won $10,000 from an off-the-cuff $5 bet in August at odds of 2000-1.