Sports stars and football fans have condemned trolls who targeted a young Tottenham Hotspur fan with Down's Syndrome after her father shared a video of her dancing.
Neil Markham, 43, shared a video of 16-year-old Ella after Spurs' defeat to West Ham.
The father-of-three wrote “the result is never the most important thing” alongside the adorable video of Ella dancing, taken during her first visit to the new stadium.
After he filmed the moment, observed by another group of fans, Mr Markham said his daughter told her mum: “They lost but I made them smile.”
But after sharing it to social media the abuse began online.
A raft of Spurs fans along with at least two former players later condemned the comments.
“Saturday night was just absolutely horrific,” Mr Markham told the Standard.
“It was horrible.
“Say what you like about me, but not my daughter.”
So rather than allow the people to make their comments unchecked, he began to respond asking them to speak to him further and even sending his phone number to some.
“I tried to front them up. This is wrong,” he said, calling out people using anonymity.
He said his daughter was not fully aware of the insults levelled at her and described her as “defenceless” against the tirades.
Mr Markham, who lives in Banbury, hopes by speaking out it will highlight the issue of cyber bullying and make those taking part in it
Since the trolls took aim at Ella, a big Spurs supporter and fan of Harry Kane, there has now been a swathe of people messaging Mr Markham in support of his daughter.
He said former players have contacted him and even a current squad member had been in touch.
“I felt like the only person in the world [after people started making the comments]. But the world is full of good people,” he said.
People described the insults towards Ella as “disgusting” and described the teen fan as a “star”.
Former Spurs star Micky Hazard, who won the FA cup with the side in 1982, was among those to offer support and tweeted that he was "proud" of the club's fans who supported her.
He wrote: "It is exactly how I knew the Spurs family would react."
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While another former Spurs player Graham Roberts, who also played for England six times, wrote to Mr Markham: "Ella is beautiful Neil and I know you are very proud of her! and these idiots who troll are scum of the earth."
