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Manchester City brought Krystina and John Webb together and while John sadly died in 2022 his wife and children were surprised for the West Ham game.
When James and Joseph Webb were born into the world, they had no choice but to be Manchester City fans. Their dad John and mum Krystina had first met over 20 years earlier over their love of the Blues and after getting together at university and then marrying after more than a decade the love for City was a constant.
It was an exciting time for the family towards the end of 2021 when John got tickets to take their eldest son James to his first game. Cruelly, John was diagnosed with cancer and had to give up the tickets as he was starting chemotherapy. Even more heartbreaking, the family got the news in October 2022 that the cancer was terminal and he passed away just two months later between Christmas and New Year.
John never got to take James or Joe to a City game and Krystina and the boys have had to cope with losing a husband and dad that they wish was still here. It has been horrible to live with from the moment it happened, and has made every Christmas since particularly rough.
"We thought it was all going well and then unfortunately in October 22 we were told it was terminal but we were hoping to get a couple of years," Krystina told the Manchester Evening News. "That's the saddest thing, that it was only another two months that we got with him at that point.
"It is a rubbish time of the year and John never got to bring James to a match because we were waiting until he got better. It's very tough. The boys are little superstars. They have their moments like any kids do.
"We have been through some counselling at Beechwood [Cancer Care Centre] for them because it's an emotional time but they are really good. Grief is horrible. You can be happy and then the tears just hit because there's something in there."
Krystina has never forgotten John's regret at not being able to take his boys to a game and was scrolling on her phone when she saw that she could nominate them for a Christmas surprise through City's charity, City in the Community. On one of over 3,000 entries in the biggest response CITC has ever had, Krystina spoke of how well James (nine) and Joe (six) have done, how much watching City has helped them all, and her hope that they could have a positive, lasting memory linked to the club that was so special to John.
The boys were made up last week when Matheus Nunes and Tijjani Reijnders came round to their house in Bredbury, and thrilled with the time that the first-team pair spent with them. Before they left, Nunes and Reijnders also told the boys that they would be able to attend the West Ham game as mascots.
With Krystina and her dad watching proudly from the stands, the boys had an unforgettable day and - importantly for his mum, a former Junior Blue of the Year - James kept up his record of only ever seeing City win. It won't stop the sadness but there is now a memory for the Webb family to treasure at this time of year.
"The boys absolutely loved meeting them and it's just a nice experience and I'm so thankful to City for it. I'm so proud of the boys but I'm so sad that they're here because of this. It's bittersweet," she said.
"It's going to be something that they'll remember for the rest of their days, I'm so thankful that the weather was good. It has been amazing. The boys wouldn't stop talking about it on Saturday. From seeing the players come off the bus to walking out with them and everything in between.
"James was so proud to come out with [Erling] Haaland. He predicted 4-0 with a Haaland hat-trick and Reijnders and wasn't far off. As a family we are all so proud of the boys and I'm a little bit jealous as I've always wanted to be a mascot!"
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