A FOOTBALL fan who was one of the few hundred cheering on Wales in their opening Euro 2020 match at the weekend, says the stress and cost of the trip has been “worth every penny”.

Ashley Thomas, from Llandrindod Wells, is one of what are thought to be around 2,000 fans who have defied Welsh Government pleas not to travel to Azerbaijan and Italy, where Wales’ three group games take place.

Robert Page’s side came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw in their European Championships opener in Baku on Saturday afternoon thanks to a sublime Kieffer Moore header.

Azerbaijan and Italy are on the UK and Welsh governments' amber lists, meaning you should not travel there. But several hundred Welsh fans were among the 8,782 spectators inside Baku’s Olympic Stadium, made up mostly of local Azerbaijanis, and Ashley, 29, said the few clad in red shirts and the famed red, white, green and yellow bucket hats certainly made themselves heard.

“The atmosphere on Saturday was bouncing,” said the financial consultant, who lives in Cardiff.

“I’m not sure how it sounded on TV but in the small section of the ground which we had it felt like we were making a right noise. You could also tell the players appreciated our efforts too; they came over at the end and spent a good few minutes applauding us as we applauded them.”

Wales fans earned the nickname the Red Wall as they built up a formidable reputation passionately following their nation all the way to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 in France. There may only be a few hundred bricks in the wall five summers on, but Ashley, who travelled alone to the shores of the Caspian Sea after a friend who was supposed to go with him was hospitalised due to a freak bonfire accident the week before the tournament started, has been taken in by a group of other Mid Wales fans who made the journey.

“I arrived in Baku with a plane of Welsh fans at 5pm on Friday,” added Ashley, who attended Euro 2016 along with fellow Llandrindod native Jonny Williams.

“It’s been great out here. Locals are friendly and it's cheap which is much needed after all the money spent getting here, I’ve found pints as cheap at 80p.

“You also see the same Welsh faces everywhere you go given that there isn't many of us out here. It's been worth every penny. To top it off I may have travelled out here alone but I've not been alone at all.

“I met a good bunch from Abergavenny on the first night and they've adopted me ever since, it’s been a great crack, it's been incredible."

The stress and financial implications associated with attending matches led to thousands of Welsh fans abandoning their plans of another glorious summer following their beloved Dragons.

Supporters have travelled against the advice of the Welsh Government, with Azerbaijan being on the amber list that requires people to book Covid-19 tests on days two and eight upon their return and quarantine for 10 days. But Ashley was determined to see the plans he and Jonny had made through to the end – even if they almost ended in disaster when he was initially turned away from the airport last Thursday.

Ashley said: “I had a flight booked from Stansted to Athens at 5pm, but when I got to the checking desk they asked me if I’d filled in the passenger locator form for Greece.

“I wasn't aware I had to complete one, I was only stopping at their airport for two hours until my next flight. They said it was not possible to do passenger locator form for Greece on the same day as you travel so it would be not possible for me to go and they refused to issue my boarding pass.”

Ashley had booked his flight through eDreams and was expecting a reminder email to complete the form, but he didn’t receive one.

“You can imagine my reaction,” he added. “I asked them if they were joking and said it had ruined everything. This was the first of three flights booked to get to Baku.

“I wondered what the hell I was going to do because I also had to worry about my negative Covid test which gave me the fit to fly certificate as it expires after 48 hours.”

Ashley simply had to find a flight that landed in Baku on Friday, but the only direct flight from London arrived on Saturday. Wonky Sheep, a travel and events company run by Wales fans for Wales fans, eventually came to his rescue.

“On the verge of tears and losing faith I suddenly remembered Wonky Sheep have a chartered flight from Cardiff to Baku on Friday mornings, so I rang and asked about a one-way flight and explained the situation,” said Ashley.

“They rang back half an hour later with a booking link. It wasn’t the cheapest of flights at all but the effort from them was brilliant, it made the rest of the journey out there completely stress free.

“The cherry on the top would be to beat the Turkish on Wednesday night.”

Ashley and his adopted family will be part of the Red Wall in the Olympic Stadium again tomorrow (June 16) night when Gareth Bale and Co go in search of their first three points of the tournament, and a result that would pretty much guarantee passage through to the knockout rounds.