Football fan scores amazing win

Now Corey, whose day job is as a machine operator at Knockloughrim Quarry in Magherafelt, has some decisions to make on what to do with a rock-solid quarter of a million pounds.

Corey said, “You dream of winning this sort of money but you never really think it’ll happen to you, I’m living proof that it can happen to anyone at any time. I would buy scratchcards occasionally, but the most I’d ever won was forty or fifty quid, until now!”

Corey’s win started with a socially-distanced trip to see a friend. He said, “I was going round to a friend’s house for a chat, a beer and some food with a couple of mates and bought a scratchcard in the store near his house.

“We were sitting in the house while I casually scratched the card. I had to find a diamond to win and, for some reason, I thought the card wasn’t a winner at first. But then I saw the diamond!

“I genuinely couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I didn’t say a word. I just sat there staring at the Scratchcard and I went as white as a sheet – so much so that my friends were asking what was wrong. Without speaking, I just showed them the card. Nobody could believe it. A couple of the guys actually thought it was a prank with a fake card, but one guy knew that I’d bought it and confirmed that it was legit.”

With his friends in agreement that this was, indeed, a lucky ticket, Corey called his aunt Edel and his mum (who lives in Scotland) to share the news. He said, “I must admit that emotion got the better of me and I cried my eyes out as I told them what had happened.

“That night, I was so restless and I sat on the edge of the bed until I finally fell asleep. I woke up a couple of hours later wondering if it was all a dream and checked where I had hidden the card; I was delighted to see that it was still there. It was like this for the next few days and I’m still trying to process it all.”

He’s already got some plans for what to do with his win. Corey said, “I certainly won’t be rushing into anything, I want to spend it wisely, so I’ll probably buy a new car and invest in some property. There are a couple of houses on the market that I have my eye on.

“I’d like to go on holiday when it’s safe to do so. I’m also a big Manchester United fan so hopefully a trip to Old Trafford will be on the cards when sporting events are open to the public again.

“The new PlayStation 5 will be out soon so I’ll buy one of those as well and a few games to keep me going. In the meantime, I’ll not do anything too hasty and make sure to sort my family out with a little something. I still can’t believe that I’ve won but it’s a brilliant feeling and I’m very thankful.”

28th August 2020