There was the usual hustle and bustle at Piccadilly Gardens tram station as fans queued for tickets. Then there was the gentle, slow stroll in the sun from the Quays to the stadium. Over there were the rowdy patrons of pubs serenading fellow Manchester United fans as they passed. A normal day out at the football.
Then there was panic, confusion and fear - and by the time the evening was over it ultimately was unveiled to be an almighty farce. Those emotions which enveloped Old Trafford on Sunday told the story of a day nobody in attendance would ever forget. Whoever was involved in the embarrassing failure to clear away the training device which led to the stadium's evacuation certainly won't live this one down in a hurry.
Since the Paris terror attacks in November, the matchday security operation at United’s 75,000-plus capacity home has been noticeably tight. Bags are checked as a matter of course by a cordon of stewards surrounding the stadium, while entrance to the press lounge is only permitted after a body search and a second bag check.
“I bet you won’t miss this,” said a member of staff who patted me down before I was allowed into the media section, making the kind of quip which seemed normal and throwaway at the time, but a couple of hours later as I collect my thoughts feels far more emotive. He even thanked me for carrying a light load in my bag today. “Easiest check I’ll have all day,” he said as he placed the ‘BAG CHECK’ label around the handle. It was all business as usual until around 2:45pm.
When an announcement came over the public address system at a more booming level than customary at Old Trafford, there was a momentary annoyance at the threat to eardrums. When the phrase ‘CODE RED’ followed as part of the message, the majority of the crowd had their first sign of something abnormal occurring.
Within seconds the Stretford End began to empty. Less than five minutes after I’d taken a photograph, for Instagram and for posterity, of the popular stand beginning to fill I was taking another as it began to empty. Those in the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand began to follow suit upon the instruction of stewards and safety officers to exit quickly but calmly from the arena.
I wondered what the reason was for the evacuation. Could kick-off be delayed? Would the match between Swansea City and Manchester City, the other with Champions League implications, be affected too? How soon could the stands be refilled and the game be allowed to go ahead? No clear message.
Manchester United’s press team on hand within the area were unable to give confirmation of anything. This was something developing at a far more serious level, and soon we were told that there was a suspect package found in the north-west quadrant of Old Trafford.
Manchester United’s press team on hand within the area were unable to give confirmation of anything. This was something developing at a far more serious level, and soon we were told that there was a suspect package found in the north-west quadrant of Old Trafford.
Something very disturbing had been plotted. Or so we thought.
It became an exercise in ascertaining the details of the inevitable abandonment of the fixture. Fans in the East Stand and the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand were being asked over the PA every two or three minutes to remain in their seats and wait for further announcements. Members of the press were told by guests in the adjacent directors’ box that the game was off, and that fans would be told in due course.
That confirmation came at 3:16pm, a good 10 minutes or so after I had started to hurriedly rush back and forth around the press area attempting to gain a strong enough signal to relay information back to Facebook viewers and Goal readers. The aisles were filling with journalists scurrying around for more information. Soon after, they finally received the news that no football would be played here today we were asked to evacuate the stand. “Everybody has to leave the stadium,” the stewards told us.
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