Descriptive piece

I’m out of the taxi, and I join the trickle of people that within a few seconds becomes a cascade of fans making their way to the stadium that is home to the greatest team of English football – none other than the notorious Old Trafford! I’m totally intrigued by the fans; most are chattering, talking excitedly to each other, their facial expressions and body language incarnating anticipation and hope. Head to toe, all fans are dressed in Manchester United red, black and white, and all of them are singing the famous Manchester United victory anthem, ”Glory Glory Man United, as the reds go marching on!” I can smell hot dogs and beer. The singing is getting louder and more boisterous now. I can see an aeroplane, weaving its way across the sky, trailing its ”UNITED 20 – GERRARD 0 !” banner.

The crowds get bigger and bigger, up to the congested gates, where we start to funnel in like fuel into a petrol tank. Suddenly, the noise level combusts beyond anything I can imagine. It’s like a tornado blasting me in the face; I weather it and navigate my way through the sea of red seats. It’s amazing – there are at least 70,000 people here. Even though I already know Manchester United has 670 million fans globally, and it has the biggest fan base of any club in the world. I couldn’t have imagined the reality of so many fans gathering together in one place. I go into a state of shock, exhilaration and a bit of panic as to how tonight will prosper.

I hurry to my seat as kick off begins in 5 minutes; the crowds start to surge in like a tide rushing in. I feel small on the outside because of the vast size of the stadium, however on the inside, I feel very big because of the huge emotions and atmosphere causing tension in every nerve ending. I feel like I am in a big army that’s ready for combat.

The mascots come on – the crowd gets even more excited, yelling out ”COME ON RED DEVILS !”, jumping up and down and hugging each other madly.

The players come out of the tunnel. As soon as the first head is spotted, the crowd erupts. Even though my Mum and brother don’t support Manchester United, they’re out of their seats standing up and clapping like crazy, as they’re carried away by the high intensity atmosphere. The players all line up and shake each other’s hands. The crowd volume dips. There is an unbearable moment, as everybody waits for the kick off. It almost like feels like forever to be honest. I sit down for a little bit, then I converse with my mum about the end result, as she is predicting that we are going to lose.

Suddenly, I hear a piercing whistle blow! ”It’s kick off, it’s kick off,” I keep screaming. Even though it’s just the start of the match, the tension is beyond intense. Every moment is taut like elastic. Every movement of a player is monumental. It feels like I can’t even bare to look, but I’m staring into everything and it’s completely hypnotizing me. This feels like a once in a lifetime opportunity, even though there are many games I can attend. The atmosphere is just sensationally electric.

”YEAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!”: the chants and singing are going to break the sound barrier as Manchester United takes the lead. I thought it was worse when the players came in. At this level, I cannot imagine what it’s going to be like at the end of the game when we win. ”Yep that’s right, might have to leave early,” my little brother says.

The game is over! Nothing but joy takes over everyone in Manchester United’s famous Sir Alex Ferguson Stand. Along with 70,000 others, I’m jumping for joy. I’m slightly concerned about the possible migraines that I might have to suffer from, but that does not stop me from enjoying one of the most thrilled nights of my life. I will most definitely cherish this forever. After this mad experience, how am I supposed to get back to normal?