Manchester City led out by 102-year-old mascot for match against Fulham

Manchester City went with an extremely experienced lineup — with its mascots — for its English Premier League match against Fulham on Saturday.

The roles, which are usually reserved for children, were filled by two of the club’s oldest supporters.

The Premier League champion wasled onto the pitch at Etihad Stadium by 102-year-old Vera Cohen and her sister, 97-year-old Olga Halon.

City manager Pep Guardiola embraced the sisters in his dugout before the match.

A Manchester City season ticket-holder for 85 years, Cohen still attends every home game with her sister.

Cohen is not the oldest mascot English football has seen. Last season, second-tier Preston had 105-year-old Bernard Jones lead them out for a second-tier fixture.

Manchester City looked close to their sparkling best as they comfortably beat promoted Fulham 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday to stay within two points of early leaders Liverpool and Chelsea.

German Leroy Sane, recalled after being left out of the squad against Newcastle, scored inside two minutes with a close-range finish after Fernandinho capitalised on some sloppy passing from the visitors.

First Published: Sep 15, 2018 22:48 IST