The UK’s oldest football phone-in show paid homage to a viral phone call on Friday after broadcasting live from a Doncaster pub.
The Salutation, on South Parade in the city centre, played host to BBC Radio Sheffield and sports fans from across the region as its Football Heaven show came live from the pub’s beer garden.
It followed a call to Praise or Grumble – the show’s fan phone-in since 1986 – on 3 February after Doncaster Rovers’ draw against Sutton United, which host Rob Staton described as “the weirdest call I’ve ever had,” in 14 years of hosting the show.
During the 90-second call, a Rovers fan known only as ‘Paul’ addressed many issues before abruptly signing off by saying: “I’m off to Sal for a pint. See you later mate,” leaving Mr Staton and listeners bewildered.
A clip of the call later went viral on X – gathering more than 800,000 views over multiple posts.
“Hundreds of thousands of people had watched this clip by Sunday morning,” said Mr Staton, 39. “It really struck a chord with a lot of people so we wanted to celebrate that, get to Doncaster and visit the Sal!”
The show featured interviews with notable Rovers fans. This included Paul Mayfield, also known as ‘Mr Doncaster Rovers’, and the Rambling Rovers fan group.
“Praise or Grumble has always been a show involving raw emotions”, said Ainsley Cooper, the groups’ social media manager. “As soon as I heard the tagline, I knew it was going to catch on.”
Co-founder Liam Dale agreed, saying: “Calls like this unite the fanbase. There’s been a lot of negativity in the last few weeks and years so that positive uplift is really good.”
Many fans claim Rovers’ upturn in form since the call is no coincidence. A 1-0 win over AFC Wimbledon on Saturday extended their unbeaten run to five games. Winger Luke Molyneux referenced the call on X after their 5-1 thrashing of Grimsby Town last weekend.
‘The Sal’ has always been a popular pub among Rovers fans. According to historian John Coyle, it is possible the founding members toasted their new club there in 1879. Plus, when playing at nearby Bennetthorpe in the early 1920s, players changed there before games.
“Radio Sheffield has a special bond with fans,” said Mr Staton. “We cover six football clubs so it’s great to have a Doncaster-centric show and be part of the broader region.”
Football Heaven broadcasts every weekday on BBC Radio Sheffield between 6pm and 7pm. It hosts the Praise or Grumble phone-in every Saturday evening.
