Anichebe Surprises Head Teacher

--West Brom star presents retiring Headmaster with a signed shirt

A headteacher who gave decades of service to a borough’s schools had a surprise visit from a favourite player from West Bromwich Albion to congratulate him on retirement.

Before the father-of-two, a season ticket holder in the Halfords Lane West Stand for the past 20 years, began his retirement however, he had a visit from Baggies striker Victor Anichebe at the school. The Brookfields Road school, Oldbury, held a special Albion day in his honour.

The forward, who began at The Hawthorns earlier this season from Everton, posed for photographs with children and presented an Albion home shirt signed by the squad to Mr Evans.

Mr Evans, aged 58, said: “One of the school’s trust partners is the Albion Foundation so I think it was a bit of their work and some of the other teachers to organise this.

“It was a nice surprise for me. He [Anichebe] is just as big in the flesh as he looks from the stands - it was very kind of him to come and to bring in a signed shirt as well.”

Mr Evans had spent his 37-year teaching career in Sandwell schools, beginning at the old Gorse Farm Junior School in Hamstead.

He went on to work at Timbertree Primary in Cradley Heath, Causeway Green Primary in Oldbury and Shireland Hall Primary in Smethwick.

That was before spells at Corngreaves Primary in Cradley Heath, where he was deputy head, and then his first headteacher’s post at Ryders Green Primary in West Bromwich.

Lucy Morris, deputy head teacher at the school, added: “Victor Anichebe’s visit made the retirement celebrations really special. I’m not sure who is more excited, Mr Evans or the children.