Stephen Crean, 61, was on his way back from Nottingham Forest's home clash against Manchester United on Saturday, November 1, when he confronted the attacker and saved lives in the process
Annette Belcher, Simon Hamalienko Senior Content Editor (Live) and George Palmer-Soady
12:01, 13 Nov 2025
Stephen Crean
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Hero Stephen Crean in the director's box for Nottingham Forest and Leeds United(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
A generous airline has come to the rescue of train attack hero Stephen Crean, offering to fly him to his beloved club's upcoming match in Portugal.
The 61-year-old previously slammed 'poxy' Ryanair after the budget carrier declined to refund his recent flight tickets.
Mr Crean was unable to attend Nottingham Forest's away game against SK Sturm Graz in Austria on November 6 due to injuries he suffered while courageously intervening in a knife attack on an LNER train service.
The Forest supporter was returning from a previous home match against Manchester United on Saturday, November 1, when he bravely intervened in the violent incident, potentially saving lives.
Ten people were injured during the horrifying ordeal and Mr Crean himself was also assaulted. Despite his heroic actions, budget airline Ryanair refused to refund his tickets to Forest's Austria match, even suggesting he should have taken out travel insurance beforehand, reports Cambridgeshire Live.
In a statement, the budget airline said: "All Ryanair air fares are non-refundable, which is why we strongly recommend passengers take out travel insurance in order to protect themselves if they can't travel."
Stephen Crean
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Mr Crean sustained multiple injuries after a number of people were stabbed on the train(Image: PA)
This sparked calls for Forest fans to boycott Ryanair, with Mr Crean himself joining in and branding the Irish company as "poxy".
However, following Nottinghamshire Live's coverage of Ryanair's refusal to refund the train hero, another airline has stepped up with a new offer.
British Airways has presented Mr Crean with two return business class tickets to Porto for Forest's clash against Sporting Braga on Thursday, January 22.
The generous gesture, which Mr Crean has gladly accepted, also covers two nights' stay at a luxury five-star hotel. Nottingham Forest have additionally sorted tickets for Mr Crean to witness the Europa League match firsthand.
Calum Laming, British Airways' chief customer officer, declared: "Stephen's actions that day were heroic. In a moment of terrifying danger, he put the safety and welfare of others ahead of his own. We're delighted to offer him this gesture as a small way of expressing our gratitude and recognition for his remarkable courage and bravery."
This follows Forest supporters vowing to boycott the Irish budget airline permanently, with one of Mr Crean's dearest mates stating: "It's shocking what Ryanair have done and Stephen is gutted he can't come".
However, after embracing British Airways' generous proposal, Mr Crean remarked: "So many people have been so kind since the incident happened, it's been incredibly overwhelming.
Stephen Crean
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Mr Crean has accepted BA's offer(Image: Stephen Crean/ Facebook)
"I'm really grateful to British Airways for making this happen and I can't wait to get on the plane to Portugal to watch the Reds hopefully bring home a win."
In a Facebook message, the hero took direct aim at Ryanair's heartless response, declaring: "Saving a life is much more important than a poxy Ryanair flight - I am not bothered about it or the money.
"It's not about that. Shame is on you, and that's coming from an Irish citizen".
Whilst Mr Crean was forced to watch Forest's match on Thursday (November 6) from his local pub as he recovered from his wounds, he returned to the City Ground on Sunday (November 9) for the clash against Leeds United.
There, he was met with a tremendous standing ovation and was offered a place in the directors' box alongside club owner Evangelos Marinakis.
Anthony Williams, 32, from Peterborough, has subsequently been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm and one count of possession of a bladed article, following the assault.
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Samir Zitouni, 48, has also been identified as a heroic LNER employee aboard the train who helped shield those being targeted by the attacker.
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