Punter Paul in seventh heaven after last gasp equaliser nets him £20K

But it took a last minute equaliser - and some sagely advice from his dad - to give Paul Henshaw a once-in-a-lifetime win at BetFred.

Paul picked up £20,741 after wagering there would be a flurry of draws in football matches in England, Scotland – and one match in Australia.

The 39-year-old father-of-two Paul chanced his arm with two accumulators and pulled off a stunning result with all seven games he selected ending with the points shared.

Now Paul, a manager in the meat industry, has plans to take his family to Disneyland in Florida in the New Year … but only after he’s treated his father Brian who gave him key advice ahead of the winning bets.

Paul explained: “My dad was of the view - and always has been - that all matches start as a draw so something has to happen.

"This is by far my biggest ever win. What a brilliant end to the year and a nice start for 2021.

“It is just amazing and to think it only took me a couple of minutes to make my selections.

"My father who is 71 is a big golfer and I will be treating him to special putter that will cost £200 by way of thanks. That’s the least I can do.

“ I didn’t check the results during Sunday and Monday but noticed I had much more money in my bank account than I expected.

"I went to bed thinking I would check in the morning which I did – and it was still there! I told my wife Ruth and like me she can’t believe what’s happened.

“It is only just beginning to register. We have not been able to celebrate properly because of the Covid situation – and she is still breast feeding our youngest.

"She is already checking out new clothes and things for the house. We were already thinking of Disneyland in Paris in the New Year as a treat for the children but now it’s got to the one in Florida.”

Paul's selections included an unlikely draw for champions Liverpool against lowly West Brom. He also went for draws for Wolves against Spurs, Crystal Palace v Leicester and Chelsea against Aston Villa in the Premier League.

He also opted for Woking and Eastleigh in the National League which ended goal less – and Down Under it was the same 0-0 scoreline between Western United and Adelaide United.

It was high drama when in Paul’s seventh selection, Dundonald Bluebell FC equalised in the last minute against Queen’s Park making it 1-1 in the Scottish Cup – much to Paul’s relief the betting rules are that it is the 90th minute scoreline that counts (Queens Park went on to win 3-1 in extra time).

Betfred boss Fred Done said: “ To win so much from such a small stake is remarkable.

"It was sharp for Paul, or more accurately his father Brian, to pick up on the number of draws which have occurred over the holiday period and to pick out seven is quite an achievement."

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