The father and son experience at Old Trafford

Saturday 08 September 2018 07:00

Football and family, for me, go hand-in-hand.

In almost three decades of following United, my memories of events on the field are as much about sharing them with my dad as the action itself. I can still see him losing it after Kiko’s winner against Villa, leaping and screaming his way through the 1999 Champions League final, wincing and cursing after he’d been coined while celebrating Coley’s clincher in Turin. I could list thousands more amazing moments made all the sweeter by their familial association.

It’s credit to him that he kept trying to coax me to Old Trafford during my formative years. For a lazy, rotund youth like me, sport held little appeal. The flag on my bedroom wall read: 'Chocolate, Mega Drive, sandwiches. In that order'. Given my relevant football experience came from watching him play in the Salford Sunday League, that aversion perhaps shouldn’t have been a surprise. Anyway, after years of him pestering me to go to the match, it finally happened; United beat Crystal Palace – goals from Neil Webb and Danny Wallace – and my life was rerouted.

Steve Bartram, ManUtd.com says

"In almost three decades of following United, my memories of events on the field are as much about sharing them with my dad as the action itself."

Skip 28 years and, given the chaos of daily life, going to the match provides a rare chance to actually converse with my old man during the drive to the stadium, the walk in and the game itself. I cherish this time because it’s a cordoned area for us to chat about – shock – football and family. The latter has been bolstered twice in the last decade by the arrival of my kids.

Nearly seven years ago, my lad Charlie came on the scene. He wore his first United bodysuit at two months old, the day Scholesy returned from retirement at the Etihad, so a marker was laid early and captured on film, earmarked for future use as a reminder of his loyalties or blackmail, should he flirt with supporting another club. In my youth, once I developed a leaning for football, there was never any doubt that I’d be a Red, but the modern day is different.

Kids are love, but also fear. With my daughter, I fear boys. With my son, I fear Blues. The mainstreaming of City means there are a handful of them in his school year and it was always worth getting him to Old Trafford for a match as soon as possible, just to gently but firmly guide a love for football that grew exponentially during the summer’s World Cup.

Three hours before Leicester's visit to Old Trafford on the opening night of the season, it was put to him that he could go to the game. It’s safe to say it went down well. “Please take him. Please take him. Please take him,” begged his sister. “YAY,” he beamed. “Peace and quiet for me,” she revelled. (Sibling rivalry has well and truly kicked in with my two, you see.)

Goals: United 2 Leicester 1 Video

Goals: United 2 Leicester 1

Pogba's penalty and Shaw's first senior goal gave us victory when we faced Leicester on the opening day of the season...

His giddiness continued all the way to Old Trafford. He predicted a 2-1 win, Pogba to score first. He sprinted up the steps towards the concourse, then again as we entered the arena. Whereas I’d stepped into the South Stand all those years ago, he clambered out into the Stretford End and just froze, staring at everything in front of him. Long enough for me to quickly snap the moment.

Fate was equally kind when United were awarded a penalty inside two minutes, giving me the opportunity to capture his reaction. I’m not usually one for filming at the match, but I had to make an exception here. You can see for yourself what it meant to him below.

Video
That feeling when you witness your first ever goal at Old Trafford...

If I didn’t know better – and if there wasn’t the small matter of laws – I’d look at his reaction and think he had money on his prediction. Or had spent too long in the Bishop Blaize pre-match. Either way, he’s already hooked.

At his incessant request, Charlie will be back again, soon, with either my dad or I. He won’t necessarily follow in our footsteps down every path, but in football terms, we can safely say that he’s on the right road.

The opinions in this story are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Manchester United Football Club.

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