Tottenham Hotspur Vs West Ham United: Fans flock to Optus Stadium for historic match

“It means everything, it’s my religion.”

That’s what it means to watch a team you’ve followed from the other side of the world in your hometown, according to diehard Tottenham fan Andy Bell.

Ange Postecoglou sent his Tottenham team out for the first time since becoming the first Australian manager to lead an English Premier League side.

And he did it in front of 50,000 fans, many of them lifelong Spurs and West Ham supporters as part of Perth’s winter festival of football.

The football powerhouse started England captain and in-demand global superstar Harry Kane, despite speculation he could soon leave the club for their clash with London rivals West Ham 14,470kms from home.

Some of the biggest names in world soccer were welcomed to Perth with a stirring Welcome to Country before the culmination of a bumper weekend of sport at Optus Stadium.

It was West Ham’s second match in Perth after beating locals Perth Glory 6-2 in a goal-laden match on Saturday night in front of around 25,000 fans.

The stadium’s surface, which came under heat when Manchester United and Aston Villa played at the venue last year, was in pristine condition, despite West Coast hosting Richmond between the two soccer matches.

Feverish supporters flocked to the stadium precinct hours before kick-off, many waiting to watch team busses arrive, desperate to catch a glimpse of their heroes.

John Clark has followed Tottenham for 52 years and watched them regularly at the club’s former home White Hart Lane. He admitted watching them in his adopted home of 15 years on Tuesday night was an emotional experience.

“It’s amazing. It’s special. I used to go and watch them regularly in the early-mid 80’s,” he said.

Two of seven London clubs in the Premier League this season, West Ham and Tottenham’s stadiums are just a short commute from each other.

Preparing to watch the club he first saw when his father took him watch a game in 1968, Mr Bell backed Postecoglou as the man to bring Spurs their first piece of silverware since a League Cup trophy in 2008.

“I think it’s great, yes I do (think he’s the right man), I do actually,” he said.

Mr Clark agreed and said the former Socceroos and Celtic boss’ reputation as a scrapper was perfect for the success-starved club.

“It’s awesome. I think he’s going to do well, he’s got that big personality and I think he’s got what it takes,” he said.

“It’s great seeing the local press supporting him, hopefully they’re not going to try and build him up to knock him down.

“They say everywhere he goes he loses the first three games — hopefully we don’t do that — if he does, we will hang in there.”

It’s not the last time elite soccer will be played in Perth this winter, with the city hosting five games of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, starting when Denmark play China at HBF Arena on Saturday night.