Dominic and Nathan Wealleans will be in the Crystal Palace end today but have a special connection to Liverpool
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Mark Wealleans with his two boys Nathan and Dominic
Mark Wealleans with his two boys Nathan and Dominic
(Image: VIS)
Two brothers can’t wait to go to Anfield this afternoon after an emotional tribute was paid to their dad. Football fans will have noticed a huge banner unveiled in the Crystal Palace end at Wembley at the FA Cup final last Saturday (May 17).
The Eagles' emotional victory saw them send Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City back to the north trophyless after Eberechi Eze's goal in the 16th minute proved to be the winner in the tie.
But right at the start there was a large tifo of a man holding his two sons in the Crystal Palace end. The image was of Mark Wealleans and his kids celebrating back in 2011, after Darren Ambrose scored against Man United in a cup match.
Mark died of cancer in 2017, aged 49, five months after his diagnosis. He is survived by his two sons, 24 year-old Dominic and Nathan, 19, who were revelling in Palace’s glory at Wembley after they won their first ever piece of major silverware, securing themselves a place in Europe next season.
The tifo of Mark, Nathan and Dominic on display at Wembley last weekend
The tifo of Mark, Nathan and Dominic on display at Wembley last weekend
(Image: The FA via Getty Images)
Mark was from south London but later moved up to Merseyside with a friend of his. He met his future wife and they brought up his family here. He ended up taking over the business he worked at, Ley Rubber, which is based at Knowsley Industrial Park.
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With Liverpool hosting Palace in the final game of the season before they lift the Premier League trophy, it will be an emotional moment for Nathan and Dominic in the away end as both sides celebrate winning major silverware this season.
Speaking to the ECHO about his dad, Nathan, from Prescot, said: “It was just incredible when we first saw the tifo. To celebrate his life with the entire country, it’s really special to us. It means the world.
Crystal Palace fans Nathan and Dominic Wealleans at Wembley last weekend
Crystal Palace fans Nathan and Dominic Wealleans at Wembley last weekend
(Image: Nathan Wealleans)
“He still had his love for Palace, even though he wasn't down there. He brought everything Palace wise up here and integrated it with his kids.
“He brought people who he worked with down to Selhurst. We had so many cracking experiences of random away games up north. He was always the life of the party and always tried bringing a smile to everyone else.”
Nathan has only vague memories of the match which inspired the banner but the tale of the day has been passed on to him. He said: “My brother remembers it a lot more than I do. I was younger at the time.
“He remembered the ball just flying towards the goal and all of a sudden there were tears as we celebrated. Once we got out of the stadium, my dad's phone was pinging and it was people from work and people that he knew from the Palace saying you're on the telly, it was incredible.”
Mark’s diagnosis with terminal cancer in September 2016 came as a huge shock. Nathan said: “It was awful. We went to a game against Coventry and he was in a bit of pain on the drive back.
“It was only because my mum said to go to the hospital just to make sure it's not anything that we found out it was terminal cancer.
“It was a massive shock. I remember getting pulled out of school and being told. It was emotional. Then the same day we went and saw him. He still kept his smile on, even though he knew that we knew.
“It was a big shock not having him around anymore. We’d had so many experiences, done so much with him, and then all of a sudden he was gone.
“The death of a loved one brings out many emotions. All of us felt everything differently and it was really hard for us. But getting through it as a family made us stronger.”
Mark found comfort that his dad’s life could live on through the business, which he now works at along with his mum. Going to Palace games also helped keep their memories alive, none more so than the final at Wembley.
Nathan said: “When we were going to games ourselves, we felt like he was with us anyway. Our mum believes that even though he passed away, he's still with us every single day.
Nathan and Dominic Wealleans will be at Anfield this afternoon
Nathan and Dominic Wealleans will be at Anfield this afternoon
(Image: Nathan Wealleans)
“Even through the good and bad times, he'll always be with us, and we both felt that during the game. When we found out about the tifo, that was confirmation that he was.
“It was emotional. The last time before this season that I went to Wembley was 2016 when we got to the final, and that was the year that we found out he had terminal cancer.
“The tifo itself is just magic. I don't think I've got the vocabulary to actually describe what it means for us. It's amazing.
The family are now looking forward to celebrating all over again this weekend. Nathan and Dominic will be in the away end at Anfield and says there are discussions ongoing to see if the tifo can be displayed in the stand.
He said: “I'm absolutely over the moon. It couldn’t have gone better for ourselves. Being from around here and working with people within the company who also support Liverpool is fantastic.
“We're not expecting either team to be relentless and try and win it. And even if they are, it doesn't matter to us. They've won the league. We've won the FA cup. The fans are just going to party either way.
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“We're going with our nephew as well, who's my older brother's kid and supports Liverpool. He wants to sit in the Palace end because he’s watched Liverpool win things before and wants to celebrate with us. I can’t wait for it.”
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