Crossword Genius

West end of soccer pitch is fans' favourite (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

star

'fans' favourite' is the definition.

'west end of soccer pitch' is the wordplay.
'west end of' says to take the initial letters (the leftmost letter of the word).
'pitch' becomes 'tar' ('tar' can be a synonym of 'pitch').
The initial letter of 'soccer' is 's'.
's'+'tar'='STAR'

'is' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for star that I've seen before include "Brilliant person" , "sign at Christmas, appropriately placed" , "A night light?" , "Principal actor in a film" , "Five-pointed figure" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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