Two Manchester United fans will get a second bite of the cherry after being denied entry to a match following a 300-mile journey to Old Trafford.
Michael Mulholland, 53, and his 18-year-old son Jack travelled by ferry and coach from Belfast in Northern Ireland to watch United take on Aston Villa in the Premier League on April 30. They had been gifted a package worth £550 for Christmas and were excited to see their team in the flesh.
But despite arriving at Old Trafford in plenty of time before kick-off, they did not make it past the turnstiles. Michael successfully scanned his ticket and went through the barriers, but Jack encountered a problem.
"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,” Jack's sister Shauna told the Manchester Evening News. “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'."
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United have investigated the situation and believe the fault lies with the operator who sold the family the ticket package, because they are not affiliated with the club. They insisted Michael and Jack would have been let in had they made it to the ticket office in time.
The club have since been in contact with the family and will try to arrange another trip to Old Trafford in the near future. United went on to beat Villa 1-0 thanks to Bruno Fernandes ’ goal while Michael and Jack were stuck outside in the rain. The father and son do not get to many games due to living in Northern Ireland, but they are both lifelong fans.
They believed they had valid tickets, as well as club membership and photo ID, but were unaware that Jack's ticket had in fact been re-sold and was therefore being used by someone else. United believe the story shows the danger of buying tickets from unaffiliated websites, who are effectively operating as ticket touts.
“Manchester United constantly strives to protect its fans from exploitation by unofficial third-party ticket agencies and ticket touts," a club spokesperson told The Mirror.
"We regularly remind fans to buy tickets from official sources as this is the only way to guarantee entry to Old Trafford. Sadly, this was not the case on this occasion and, although we deeply sympathise with the situation our fans faced, it is often a reality of buying tickets from unofficial channels."
