Everton and Aston Villa fans have joined together for a heartwarming tribute to Rhys Jones during their Premier League meeting on Friday evening.
Thursday marked the 12th anniversary of the young Blues supporter's tragic passing, with many sharing messages of respect on social media throughout the day.
The club posted their own message which read: “The thoughts of everyone at #EFC are with the family and friends of Rhys Jones today – 12 years on from his tragic passing.
“We'll never forget you, Rhys.”
And one group of Evertonians were keen to mark the trip to the Midlands with their own special tribute during the match in a campaign that went viral on Twitter on Thursday evening.
For everyone travelling to villa park tomorrow: it’d be a great touch if there was to be an applause on the 12th minute in memory of Rhys Jones who was killed 12 years ago today.
— ForeverEverton (@ForeverEverton0) August 22, 2019
I’m sure this would mean a lot to Rhys’ family. Share this to raise awareness and make it happen! pic.twitter.com/dOMKw6lSQx
A call for all supporters in the stadium to stand for a round of applause in the 12 minute of Friday's meeting between the sides rose to over 2,500 retweets before the game kicked off – including many Villa supporters and the club's midfielder Jack Grealish.
And the campaign was indeed a successful one, with fans around all four corners of Villa Park rising to their feet for a heartwarming tribute to Rhys Jones.
