The Birch Surprises 96-Year-Old Foxes Fan With FA Cup Trophy!
- Alan Birchenall surprised Margaret Angell with the famous trophy
- City’s recent FA Cup triumph ended Margaret’s 73-year wait for an engagement ring
- Her husband Cecil promised to buy her a ring should the Foxes ever lift the trophy
- He sadly died in 2005 but son Mike carried out the promise after last month’s success at Wembley
For Margaret, City’s recent triumph over Chelsea in the showpiece final at Wembley ended a 73-year wait for an engagement ring.
When she agreed to marry her future husband Cecil in 1948, money was too tight to buy a ring, however Mr. Angell said he would stretch to one if the Foxes lifted the coveted trophy.
He sadly died in 2005, however his promise was fulfilled by son Mike, who bought his mother a ring days after Youri Tielemans struck the winning goal to seal the Club’s first ever FA Cup title.
And yesterday, The Birch visited Margaret at her home, and surprised her with a visit with the trophy, along with a signed LCFC shirt.
She told LCFC.com: “It’s a beautiful trophy and I was so surprised when Alan Birchenall came to meet me with it. Thank you to everyone who helped to win the cup, I’m very proud of you all.
“Every time we got to an FA Cup Final and lost, my husband just refused to look at me and I just said to him don’t worry about it.
“But now, thanks to my son, I have an engagement ring and he has carried out his father’s promise. He would have been so proud of the ring.
“I had to have a little weep when my son phoned me to tell me that Leicester City had won the FA Cup because it was just so wonderful.”
Following FA Cup Final defeats in 1949, 1961, 1963 and 1969, it would be another 52 years before the Foxes reached another final.
And after last month’s Wembley success, Mike and his family took Margaret to a jewellery shop in Melton Mowbray where she picked out a 1940s ring in blue and white colours.
He said: “I told the family that if we won the FA Cup this time that I was going to buy my mother an engagement ring. When I phoned her to tell her that we’d won, she said to me that there was no need to buy a ring because I wouldn’t get my money’s worth out of it! Being the age she is, that’s just typical of her, but we agreed to get her one.
“So, we went to the jewellers, and they brought out rings from the 1940s, so the ring she’s got is actually befitting of what she would have been wearing in 1948 had my father got her one.
“We’ve actually named the ring Youri after Youri Tielemans because he obviously scored the winning goal on the day.
“Thank you to the Club, Khun Top and to the players for winning the FA Cup, and also The Birch for coming along to present the trophy. You’ve made a 96-year-old woman’s dream come true.”
The Birch added: “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. The story is incredible, and it was an absolute privilege to meet Margaret and her family.
“I feel so proud to have been able to go along and present her with the FA Cup because she has waited a long time for this.
“Being able to put a smile on Margaret’s face after all this time is what football and life is all about. It was an honour for me to do this.”