For Manchester United fans at Wembley, Sunday was a joyous occasion as they secured their place in the FA Cup final. It should have been an afternoon to savour but sadly, that was not the case for one Red.
For Danny Clarke, a blind United season ticket holder, the semi-final victory was marred. Instead of enjoying Erik ten Hag's side booking their place in the June showpiece, he was left angry and frustrated by his treatment at Wembley Stadium.
Danny, 37, has held a season ticket with the Reds for the last five seasons and was visiting Wembley for the first time, at no small expense. His journey started with a 5am coach from Manchester to the capital and he arrived in plenty of time, two-and-a-half hours before kick-off.
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Clarke was sat with other disabled supporters alongside his carer, who attends matches to ensure his safety to and from the ground. However, after arriving at his seat, he was informed there were no headphones available for him to enjoy the match commentary inside the stadium.
Danny contacted the MEN to describe his experience and Wembley Stadium has since apologised to him, offering him a pair of tickets to the final against Manchester City.
Having headphones available is standard procedure at all football games and an issue that Clarke has never experienced before. It left him stuck in limbo, unable to see or hear what was happening in the match, aside from the chants and gasps of the Wembley crowd.
"This has never before and I don't want it to ever again," Clarke tells the MEN. "I was angry, I was upset.
"My carer could see the pain in me and how upset I was. He felt bad and I felt bad for impacting the match for him.
"It spoiled it for both of us. In the second half, I didn't even sit in my seat, I went into the concourse, I was that upset. I came back out for extra-time and penalties but it just wasn't the same."
After being told there were no available headphones, Clarke approached several stewards looking for answers. This was an unprecedented situation with no possible solution, according to the Wembley staff.
Despite speaking to three different stewards of differing seniority, there were no answers. No apologies or explanation. Instead, Clarke felt too angry to stay in his seat for the match after feeling 'fobbed off'.
"The first lady I spoke to said that there were no headsets left and that was it," Clarke explains. "She just walked off. I was upset, I sat down initially but then I decided to speak to someone else, another steward. I was raging, absolutely disgusted.
"I spoke to three different people and they all said exactly the same. There was nothing they could do.
"I rang the disabled accessibility number the following day (Monday) and I found out there were only 16 sets of headphones in the stadium. The excuse was they had been damaged or not returned.
"For all the money that is invested in that stadium, it is supposed to be accessible for everyone. I am a season ticket holder at Manchester United and there are always enough. I have friends who are blind and they have never had any issues either, there are always headphones available.
"There was no attempt to call around the stadium or try to find any. There must have multiple areas for disabled supporters around the stadium. I just feel like they tried to fob me off."
After travelling to Wembley for his first experience, Clarke is left with a dilemma. The ticket ballot for the FA Cup final opens on May 3 and after his first experience at the national stadium was tainted, he's unsure whether to bother applying.
He has made contact with Wembley Stadium this week and has received no response. Clarke was directed to a general queries page, where he explained the situation.
This is not about compensation, he insists, but the need to shine a light on his experience. If he does return to Wembley, there needs to be assurances that this situation can not happen again.
"It's a huge game, it's an FA Cup final, a derby final. It's making me question whether I want to apply for tickets. I don't want the same experience.
"It's making me question whether I should attend away games. I have been to Arsenal and they were very accommodating but it makes me wonder whether I should.
"Obviously, I want to attend the game. But having spent over £200 and travelled for 20 hours, it's a difficult decision.
"This is not about financial compensation. I just want an apology or some acknowledgement of what happened. If I chose to attend another match at Wembley, I need to know this won't happen."
After being contacted by the MEN, Wembley Stadium officials have directly apologised to Clarke for his experience at the match. As a gesture of goodwill, Clarke has also been offered two complimentary tickets to the FA Cup final against Manchester City.
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