Why were you looking forward to going to the ground?

I hadn’t been to Old Trafford for nearly 25 years so was just as excited as my 13 year old son Alex to be going. I have been a lifelong Rams supporter and now I am introducing Alex to the joys of going away from home with “the boys”. Having already been to Anfield, The Emirates and White Hart Lane on our travels “The Theatre of Dreams” was hopefully going to be just as special.
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How easy was your journey.

We set off at 10.00am from our base in Hertfordshire. Travel time was estimated at around three and a half hours to our hotel on the east side of the city and then 20 mins in a taxi to the ground. It rained all the way there so we were pushing it to get to the ground before the 3.00pm kick off but with the help of a maniac cabby we were deposited outside the ground comfortably in time for kick off. Seeing Old Trafford for the first time you cannot help but be impressed. The stadium is just outside of the city centre and is well served with the metro (trams) to Old Trafford station (£2 adult £1 child, one way). Taking a cab meant we had no parking problems.

What you did before the game.

Didn’t have much time to do anything. There were plenty of burger and souvenir stalls lining the roads to the ground and as we approached Old Trafford it became a sea of humanity. Derby County might be bottom of the league but there were over 75,000 at the game. The United fans were fine but our colours were covered up due to the weather. I did see Derby fans walking through and did not see any signs of trouble. The stewards outside the ground search all adults and were charm personified. A very nice change to some of the stewards we have come across (Villa Park).

First impressions

As you walk towards Old Trafford the ground appears just like any other. We came down directly to the away end (East Stand) so did not see too much of the other sides of the ground. Once the searches were over it was straight into the ground and I do have to say once in your seat it is very, very impressive. We were seated in the upper tier and the view was fantastic. I was trying to compare the ground to another premier league one but Old Trafford is truly unique. The Derby boys were there in force and were already making a real noise which is possible in the East stand. The United fans were still eating their prawn sandwiches with 5 mins to go to kick off so there wasn’t much banter between the fans pre the match.

The game itself

Once kicked off we didn’t see a steward all match and we were standing and chanting for the entire 90 mins. Derby had not scored a goal in 8 games, we had been hit for 6 by Liverpool, 5 by Arsenal and 4 by Tottenham, so we did not expect the mighty Man United to go easy on us. 40 mins into the game and we had soaked up all the pressure and for a brief 10 minute period we actually threatened their half of the pitch. Then Ronaldo switched sides and broke into the box. A quick shot parried by our keeper only for Giggs to score his hundredth goal for Manchester. This brought some life into the United fans who had been quiet for all of the match. In fact this lack of passion from the United fans was a real disappointment. Derby have a very vocal away support and enjoy the banter with the home side. There was nothing of this. In fact there was a group of about 10 seats unoccupied in the stand to the right of us and once spotted by the boys the chant of “Your grounds too big for you” rang out. Another goal 2 mins before half time and the game was over. It was surely now a case of how many goals United wanted. But no. Derby came out in the second half and went for United. The game although hardly end to end was entertaining and you couldn’t help but admire the talent United had on display. A piece of Tevez magic made it 3-0 and then our world exploded. Derby broke down the right. A quick ball into the box, Stevie Howard moving in and wonder upon wonders the ball crosses the United goal line. A Derby goal and at Old Trafford to boot. Life does not get better than this. Even a dodgy piece of 'professionalism' as the pundits say or cheating in my book by Ronaldo to win a penalty at the end could not dampen the Derby spirit and we left the ground very happy. Food was basic, pies, kit-kat etc but at least you could by a beer (£3.00).

Getting away

This was a challenge. The crowd was huge and all going in 1 direction. You are simply swept along. We decided to go back into town via the Metro and were directed to Old Trafford station about 10 mins walk. The queues to get tickets were very long with trams coming every 5 mins but even so we had to wait about ½ hour to get on a tram. We saw no trouble with both sets of fans mixing amicably in the queue. The tram goes directly to Manchester Piccadilly train station (about 5 stops and 20 mins). A lot of Derby fans had driven to Altringham, parked there and taken the Metro to Old Trafford station.

Summary.

A really, really good day out. Old Trafford lives up to its name “Theatre of Dreams” but the United support is very quiet and the atmosphere could be a lot better if the fans got behind their team for the full 90 mins. Facilities and stewards if not the best are good and every true football fan should try the “Old Trafford” experience.