25 Sep 2009Manchester priest adds football scores to sermons

Football Clubs News | Football Supporters News

One Catholic church in south Manchester is proving particularly popular with football fans, as the priest has started to include scores from the English Premier League in his services.

Father Paddy McMahon likes to keep his congregation up-to-date with the latest football action during Saturday Mass at St John's Church in Chorlton, the Manchester Evening News reports.

According to the newspaper, both Manchester United and Manchester City supporters enjoy the 66-year-old priest's football bulletins when they visit the church.

"After the derby, I found there were more City fans in the congregation than I'd thought - and there was quite a lot of controversy about the extra time added on. It's all a bit of fun," Father McMahon told the publication.

"Talking about football at the end of mass means people leave with a smile on their faces," he added.

The priest's love of football has seemingly not gone unnoticed, as Old Trafford boss Sir Alex Ferguson has been known to stop in at the church.

Manchester United beat their city rivals 4-3 on Sunday (September 20th), with Michael Owen grabbing a controversial injury-time winner for the domestic champions.

Written by Mark Thompson

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