A well-travelled Hull City supporter cheered on Semi Ajayi during Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter-final win over Algeria after discovering it was cheaper than following his own side on the road.

Scott Wood is a season-ticket holder at the MKM Stadium but picks his away games carefully as he also attends every England match and is preparing for his second World Cup this summer.

The 36-year-old priced up a trip to Millwall on December 13 and quickly realised he would spend less on a “bucket list” AFCON adventure in Morocco, with cheap flights and hotel accommodation available, as well as a large number of tickets.

Wood saved more than he was expecting and also added his wife to the trip after the pair had earmarked Marrakech as a place they would like to visit.

Speaking from Saturday’s game, he told The Athletic: “It would have cost me £140 on the train, £30 for a match ticket and around £100 for a hotel to go to Millwall. But instead I got an £80 return flight, £16 match ticket and £100 hotel in Marrakech. To be inside the stadium and experience the atmosphere was great. It felt like one big party for the Nigerians and was the complete opposite of English football, where we let the result determine if we have a good time or not.”

Wood is no stranger to a long-distance away day but had never been to Africa until he flew in from Manchester on Friday. Tickets were easily secured during the group stage when the identity of the teams competing in the quarter-final was not known.

“I’m used to planning in advance with England, but it was pretty obvious early on that this game was likely to be Nigeria vs Algeria,” he said. “That worked out great because it allowed me to see Ajayi, who I think is our best defender at Hull. I’m really pleased for him, although we could do with him back!”

The father of three will now miss Hull’s game with Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup today (Sunday). He admitted he would have enjoyed watching Hull beat Millwall 3-1 on the alternative trip but insists the opportunity to watch an AFCON quarter-final was too good to turn down.

Before the game, Wood mingled with a large section of Algerian supporters who had based themselves in the city centre before sitting with the Nigerian fans and posing for pictures during the game. Today, he is going quadbiking in the desert.

“I might sound like an old man here, but the problem with English football is that it has become so sterile that you need to guarantee yourself a good time when you go to the game,” he said.

“For me, that would mean going on the train. People were telling me I could get a bus for £30, but who wants to do that for 10 hours? Plus, I live 45 minutes away from Hull, so it would have been more time and money. I thought I might as well do this.”

Victor Osimhen celebrates scoring for Nigeria against Algeria (Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images)