A father and son duo were devastated to be "turned away" from a football after travelling 300 miles to watch the match. Lifelong Manchester United fans Michael Mulholland and 18-year-old son Jack were desperate to see the Red Devils play.
The game, against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday, April 30, was part of a Christmas present from Michael's wife that the two men had been looking forward to for months. They travelled 300 miles by ferry and then coach from Belfast to see United play, reports the Manchester Evening News.
And due to an "innocent mistake", the pair were unable to see the game and had to abandon their plans, despite getting to the stadium two early hours to take up their seats. Michael scanned through the turnstile but Jack appeared to get stuck after successfully scanning the ticket but not entering through the gate quickly enough as it locked.
The pair then sought out security staff to help who said they couldn't. The father and son duo tried to get help from management but nobody was said to have been able to help and they were forced to miss the game.
Jack's sister Shauna revealed the pair were left absolutely gutted. She said: "They booked a package and had travel to Dublin, then get the boat to Wales and then get a coach to Manchester where they stayed the night before.
"My dad and brother got to the ground two hours before and my dad went through the turnstile fine, but my brother wasn't able to get through. The only thing we think could have happened is that he didn't go through quickly enough and it locked.
"Nobody around them could help. They said there was no other way to let my brother in. My dad wasn’t going to leave him so came out of the turnstile as well. They spoke to several members of staff. One was very nice and got on the radio and told them to issue two new tickets, to which he was told 'no'."
Shauna claims her dad and brother spoke to another member of staff who said they had the option of purchasing two new tickets for £90, which they were ready to do. But when they got to that stand they were told tickets were sold out.
She claims she has written to the club for answers. She added: "They stood for two hours in the rain to try and get into the match they had paid for. They had to head back to the hotel and go back home.
"My brother is 18 and this was only the second game he’d been to. My dad is 53 and had only been a handful of times. It was booked as a Christmas present for both of them and they had been really looking forward to it. They are lifelong Manchester United fans.
"The whole package cost £550 and they had to buy membership to be able to go to the game. Despite showing their tickets, membership and photo ID at the game - nobody would let them in.
"They have been looking forward to this game since Christmas. I just want Manchester United to acknowledge what happened and just apologise. A refund for the tickets would also be appreciated since they didn’t get to watch the game."
The Manchester Evening News have approached Manchester United for comment.
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