ONE lucky Lancashire punter was celebrating on Monday night after turning a fiver into £45,000 by bashing the bookies with odds of more than 9000/1.
But it was a nervous climax as the bet looked set to fall at the final hurdle.
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The mystery 30-year-old had staked £5 on a six-game accumulator which promised odds of more than 9000/1 and a huge pay-out if the stars aligned.
After seeing the first five of their picks come in, the final piece of the jigsaw was an Everton win at West Brom with both teams scoring.
But the Toffees were 2-0 down with 35 minutes left and the bumper jackpot looked a distant dream.
Before the game at the Hawthorns started, the punter was offered £4,196.19 to cash out and must have been wishing they had taken that option.
Then Romelu Lukaku and Arouna Kone scored for Everton to make it 2-2, before Belgian striker Lukaku struck again six minutes from time to secure the win and net the gutsy gambler an incredible prize pot of £45,865.05.
Someone will be celebrating tonight, if they haven't had a heart attack watching that game. Congratulations! pic.twitter.com/5C6GgiGxBC
— William Hill Betting (@WillHillBet) September 28, 2015
Joe Crilly, spokesman for bookmaker William Hill who took the bet, said: "We had people tweeting all night to see if our mystery punter had cashed out to which we were constantly telling them they had not.
"As the game dragged on, it looked likely they would fall at the final hurdle. But it was a fantastic comeback from Everton and a cracking win for this punter."
The unnamed better had already seen Liverpool, Cardiff, Reading, Sheffield United and Bury all win with both teams scoring in each game to set up the nerve-shredding finale, with the exact odds of successfully predicting all six outcomes an amazing 9172/1.
GOAL FOR EVERTON! Lukaku scores again! The Blues now lead 3-2! #WBAvEFC
— Everton (@Everton) September 28, 2015
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