ARSENAL mascot Gunnersaurus returned from extinction to once again grace the Emirates – along with 2,000 Gooners.
But it is believed to be a new man in the dinosaur costume after stalwart Jerry Quy got the boot after 27 years.
Gunnersaurus joined a small group of lucky Gunners fans to watch Mikel Arteta’s side beat Rapid Vienna 4-1 – the first time they had entertained a live audience in nine months.
He received a warm welcome from those fortunate enough to have a ticket, as Arsenal made the most of their Tier 2 status following the end of England’s coronavirus lockdown on Wednesday.
The PA announcer welcomed the club’s mascot back before mask-wearing fans belted out ‘There’s only one Gunnersaurus’ in the still largely vacant stadium.
Supporters on Twitter even praised his homecoming for helping inspire the team to victory.
One said: “Gunnersaurus returns and liquid football quickly follows. Coincidence? I think not.”
The Gunners’ much-loved mascot looked like he might not ever get to do another Emirates lap after club chiefs incredibly ditched him in October to cut costs.
The decision irked celebs such as Piers Morgan and Holly Willoughby and caused a widespread outcry of disbelief.
Arsenal outcast Mesut Ozil even offered to pay the beloved dino’s wages to keep him on the books in North London.
But to the relief of football fans, Gunnersaurus was brought back from furlough in November.
But Quy – who had manned the get-up since the mascot’s 1993 inception – is no longer in the role, according to his son.
Daniel Quy fumed that the Gunners didn’t reciprocate the class his dad – who voluntarily carried out the job for 14 years – had shown as a loyal servant and employee.
In a statement released on Twitter last month, he said: “In response to the pandemic, Arsenal FC decided they would include the role of Gunnersaurus as part of their cost-cutting redundancy exercise, owing to the lack of matchdays and community opportunities.
“Unfortunately, Arsenal were unable to find a suitable way to include my Dad in their ‘new normal’ part-time plans, or even offer him the chance to hand over his legacy. Perhaps they see him as an extinct dinosaur after all!
“To ‘act with class’ is an Arsenal value that I remember well from my time working at the club, and my Dad certainly honoured that. However, I don’t feel this was reciprocated in how his journey ended.”
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