“West Ham Fan ‘Knollsy’ Fights Ultras in Heroic Battle: The Story of the ‘Angel of Alkmaar'”

West Ham supporter ‘Knollsy’ has given talkSPORT a glimpse into his brutal battle with a crowd of ultras from AZ Alkmaar..

The fan, whose real name is Chris Knoll, was seen fending off hooligans who attacked some of the traveling attendees.

Some of these included families of West Ham players, with images of ‘Knollsy’ making headlines afterwards.

“I was fine and then, it was just a bunch of numbers,” he told Jim White on talkSPORT.

“If you look at the photos, there are photos of me and other guys and we are just harassed.

“I think there’s an image they’ve made a canvas out of, and in that particular one I still think you can count about 12 guys, they’re literally all around me.

“Eventually just the numbers took over and one of the guys managed to get behind me, so as I’m trying to fend off the people coming up the stairs in front of me, this guy is just punching me in the side. head, which is where I got the black eye really.”

The so-called ‘Angel of Alkmaar’ was serenaded by fans in the days after his crucial victory, his black eye on full display.

A one-off action figure of the 58-year-old was even made and sold for £6,000 after 58 bids on eBay.

He also received tickets to the Europa Conference League final next month as a reward for his heroism.

‘Knollsy’ will be one of the lucky few to attend the clash against Fiorentina in Prague, as both clubs will have just under 5,000 tickets each at the Eden Arena.

The showcase will be West Ham’s first European final in 47 years, having reached the semi-finals of the Europa League last season.

Victory would cap off what has been a rather disappointing season for the East London side and they would claim the third European crown in their history.