A Match Made In Paradise

Hoops fan, Paul McCarroll popped the question to girlfriend, Clare McKeever at the foot of the Brother Walfrid statue

- Mark Henderson

SUPPORTING Celtic has been a lifelong love-affair for Paul McCarroll so there was only one place where he was going to pop the question to his partner Clare McKeever Paradise.

The 31-year-old from the town of Antrim got down on one knee at the Brother Walfrid statue outside the stadium ahead of the Hoops’ win over Aberdeen last month.

After the initial shock of the proposal, Clare said yes, much to the delight of Paul and a group of Celtic fans watching nearby.

Speaking to the View, Paul said: “I got big into Celtic during the Martin O’Neill years. The first top I had was when I was 11 and it was the one that Larsson wore when he scored the chip shot over Stefan Klos at Celtic Park.

“It’s been a love-affair ever since and, being Irish, I just fell in love with the story of Celtic, coming from the charitable beginnings and Brother Walfrid trying to raise money for the poor Irish who had emigrated to Scotland.

“The values of the club spoke to me. While all my mates around me were Liverpool or Manchester United, I was never a person who supported one team and another – Celtic were my team and I have followed them through thick and thin. There have been some good times but there have also been some difficult times.