Kharkiv says goodbye to the Oranje horde

The orange tide is receding in eastern Ukraine after the Metalist Stadium staged its final game of UEFA EURO 2012, but Kharkiv will not forget its army of Dutch visitors and the hope is that they will spread the word about what they have seen when they get back home.

"Kharkiv has developed in so many ways over the last seven years," said mayor Hennadiy Kernes. "During the preparations for UEFA EURO 2012, the city changed for the better. I am very grateful to every citizen of Kharkiv. We have done a good job together and promoted our city to the whole of Europe."

The Netherlands' travelling support is the stuff of legend, with Toon and Margo Winters exemplifying fans' commitment to the cause having travelled 2,500km by camper van from Eindhoven to watch Bert van Marwijk's side in action. They parked up alongside around 800 of their countrymen at the fan camp near the picturesque Zhuravlevskoye artificial lake, which became a Dutch enclave for the duration of the team's Group B campaign.

That camp reached its maximum population of 1,400 on the eve of the Netherlands' 2-1 defeat by Germany, and average Dutch crowds for matches at the Metalist Stadium exceeded 10,000. That Oranje horde also made their presence felt in the city streets, marching from the fan zone at Svobody Square to the stadium before each game.

The first time it happened, the locals were a little bemused, yet ahead of the final match – which gathered around 50,000 people – Kharkiv had taken their visitors to heart. At a local restaurant, I overheard a conversation between two waitresses. "What will be the result of the game against Portugal?" one said to the other. "Will our team win?"

The visitors proved to be good guests, turning out in force to get behind Oleh Blokhin's Ukraine side at the fan zone, and also queueing up to hear the latest predictions from the city's own footballing Nostradamus, Fred the Ferret.

Normally a resident of Kharkiv Zoo, Fred was guided by his handler to predict the results of matches depending on which bowl of food he chose to eat from – the Ferrets, incidentally, is the nickname of local club FC Metalist Kharkiv. He began well, correctly guessing the results of three of the first four games, but his hit-to-miss ratio has dwindled since in this most unpredictable of tournaments – of 20 matches, he has got just nine outcomes correct.

The great seer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Paul the Octopus, thus retained his crown as the animal kingdom's top tipster, although Fred will keep plugging (and nibbling) away until the final of UEFA EURO 2012 on 1 July. The crowds are leaving Kharkiv, yet the tournament goes on.