Pranksters from Shrewsbury Town Fanzine Blue and Amber, who earlier this year kidnapped an inflatable sheep from Carlisle fans and auctioned it on Ebay, have now returned to the auction website in an attempt to buy the club some more support.

Steve Brown (39), a director of a design studio in Richmond in Surrey, was so disillusioned with life as an Arsenal fan that he put his footballing loyalty for this season up for auction.

After a scramble which saw 30 bids from 10 different countries, with Bayern Munich putting on a lot of pressure, the winning bid at £102.63 was sealed by Shrewsbury fans keen to see another face in their ranks.

Steve commented

“This summer I have sat and watched the Thierry Henry saga and then the Ashley Cole situation unfold and it just highlights how far Premiership football has drifted from us, the fans. These players earn more in a week that 99% of their fans earn in a year and yet all you hear about is flash lifestyles, demands for more money and the real fans have to pay through the nose for tickets for games. This has meant many long term supporters can no longer go and watch games live. So I decided to put my support for this season up for auction and the lads from Shrewsbury came in with a last minute bid and they have won me. I have already been learning about the club and it is the most excited about a new season that I have been in a long time”

Dave Matthias, speaking on behalf of Blue and Amber fanzine said

“We will buy him a shirt, a scarf and pay for him to attend a few games up to the value of our original bid, so our Club benefits from all the money. Shrewsbury is a lower league club with a loyal fan base and we are proud of who we are and where we are from. When we saw this bloke down south was losing his love for the game we thought it was only fair to show a bit of footballing solidarity and let him experience a club where good young local players come through the ranks, you can afford to go and watch games and you see a commited young team fight for the shirt and a manager who doesn’t make excuses, with a chairman we trust. We are sure that Steve will enjoy visiting a ground with lots of character and a small club that is definitely on the up, and we want to make a real point to the football establishment that all the money and marketing in the world cannot replace the genuine enjoyment of football as a fan, and that is something the bigger clubs are losing sight of.”

Steve hopes to make his first visit to Gay Meadow on September 9th when Shrewsbury play Lincoln City, and with Shrewsbury currently in the play off places in League Two he may well finish the season celebrating more than some Arsenal fans.