TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz are not used to having great support when they travel away for games, be it World Cup Qualifiers or just international friendlies.

However, thanks to Coca-Cola and Juici Patties, the Boyz had the unusual support of Elroy Richards and his sister Nadine Richards at yesterday’s crucial World Cup Qualifying encounter against Honduras at the Tiburcio Carias Olympic Stadium in Tegucigalpa.

Elroy, 33, a taxi cab operator in Montego Bay, purchased a combo deal of two patties and a Coca-Cola drink for his lunch at a Juici Patties outlet in Montego Bay in the middle of May.

At the time there was a Coca-Cola organised Reggae Boyz promotion ongoing and he entered by filling out the form. In the last week of the month he got a call from Coca-Cola representatives advising him of his grand prize winnings of a trip for two to Honduras to watch the Reggae Boyz take the home side.

Elroy was ecstatic, though doubtful that he was really a winner.

“When I first got the call, I was aware that I made the purchase, but I wasn’t too sure about the winnings as yet because I thought it was a scam, because we live in the scam capital, so after I checked with the manager at the store where I made the purchase, she made a call to Coca-Cola headquarters in Kingston and after proving it to be true, she advised me to go ahead and do what they asked me to do.

“She said I should take my passport to them in Kingston the following day to start processing the Honduran visa,”

Elroy told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

He had filled out the promotional form as a matter of routine, and not with any dream of winning the grand prize, though he claimed to be an avid sports fan.

“I never dreamt of winning the prize because normally I thought it was mostly rich people who win these prizes. I never thought I would really win it.”

Elroy’s elation soon turned sour, as his wife does not now possess a valid passport and with just a day to submit his in Kingston to start the application process for the Honduran visa, he contacted his sister Nadine and invited her to join him on the trip, as she is a Reggae Boyz fan.

The rest, as they say, is now history and both first-time travellers are enjoying themselves to the fullest.

“It has been a wonderful experience so far. I call it a one-in-a-million experience because for the first time travelling and taking two planes to reach the destination was something else,” Elroy revealed as his inexperience came to the fore.

He added: “I always thought that you take one plane to the destination and another plane back home, but I had to take two planes to reach the destination.”

Not being in possession of a valid United States visa, the siblings travelled to Panama on Sunday, where they spent the night before continuing on to Honduras on Monday.

For 42-year-old Nadine of Grange Hill in Westmoreland, it’s a blessing. “I’m enjoying myself,” she said. “It is a great experience to be out of my country for the first time. I count it as a blessing to travel to two countries in four days, and basically only God alone could have made this possible, and I give Him thanks for it,” said the devoted Christian for the past 16 years.

She claimed that she had dreamt it.

“I had got a dream before and I knew that there was something great coming my way, so it is not fortune but a favour from the Lord,” she offered.

Heading into yesterday’s game, Elroy was hoping for a victory in order to keep the Brazil World Cup dream alive.

“I am a sports fan and a big Reggae Boyz fan, but number one I wanted to leave Jamaica with more hype and points,” admitted Elroy. He added: “But I’m looking towards a win today (yesterday) to have hopes of still making it to the World Cup, so I really have deep concern about this game and a win would set us back on track.”

For Nadine it was really simple: “I would really like to see them (Boyz) win 4-0. I have been praying for them to win, and I’m acknowledging God, as I know he will direct their path.”