Young Leeds United fan given 'best night ever' after Sean McGurk video goes viral

Henry Mackey, 9, was part of the near 9,000-strong crowd in LS11 on Monday evening for the club's 3-0 U23s victory over Liverpool.

A video posted by mum, Lucy, went viral on social media following the game after McGurk was seen gifting him a pair of boots from his car.

Henry, an avid Whites supporter and Guiseley AFC Juniors player, attends as many Leeds games as he can with his mum, her partner and her partner's son.

McGurk - who came on as a second half substitute against the Reds - took time to meet one of his biggest fans post-match outside of the ground and left him with a memory he'll never forget.

"Henry has always loved Leeds but his love for them has grown stronger since losing his Leeds mad grandad at the start of the pandemic," mum Lucy told The Yorkshire Evening Post.

"I think it’s his way of remembering him, which is really lovely. When it comes to the U23s, Sean is his favourite player. We were sitting a few rows from the front in the west stand and Sean had started warming up in front of us.

"Henry gave him a shout and said ‘I hope you get on the pitch’ and Sean responded with a smile and a thumbs up. That was enough for Henry to be honest, I think just the acknowledgement from his favourite player had made him happy."

Henry, though, waited behind after the game in the hope of getting a photo with one of his heroes and was struck by an act of kindness which has left a huge impression.

"He was the only player he was waiting for," Lucy added.

"Sean came out and happily had a picture with Henry and signed his ticket. He asked Henry if he would be coming to watch them play Man United and the answer was obviously yes!

"Sean and my partner Josh were chatting and Josh had made Sean aware of the fact that Henry was just waiting for him, and that’s when he took us over to his car and gave Henry a pair of boots.

"Honestly, none of us were expecting it at all! In Henry's words: 'My heart is beating so fast I could cry. It’s the best night ever'."

The post online has been widely shared by Leeds supporters across social media, including McGurk himself.

"It is so refreshing to be able to bring a good story to social media and make it known that footballers do good things, they take time out for their fans and their actions can genuinely make such a big difference and have a huge impact," Lucy said.

"As for the reaction, I wasn’t expecting it and my phone has been going crazy but I’ll be perfectly honest, I’m not bothered, I’m just happy that a young player is getting the recognition he deserves for an act of kindness that he really didn’t have to do."