A FATHER and son were left devastated after travelling 300 miles to watch Manchester United play, only to be turned away because of amistake.
Lifelong fans Michael Mulholland and his 18-year-old son Jack made the long journey by ferry and coach from Belfast to watch the Red Devils in action.
The pair were in high spirits as they finally arrived at Old Trafford to watch their club's Premier League clash against Aston Villa on April 30.
The Manchester United tickets were purchased by Michael's wife as part of a package.
And they were a Christmas present the father and son had been looking forward to for months.
Arriving at the stadium two hours early,Michael and Jack went to go take their seats in the stands.
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Michael claims he was able to pass through the turnstile easily, but when he looked behind him, Jack appeared to have got stuck.
The family believe Jack successfully scanned his ticket, but made the mistake of not passing through the turnstile quickly enough, causing it to lock before he could go through.
Amid claims security staff said they couldn't help, Michael went back through the turnstile and the pair tried to get help from management.
But after two hours of trying, the pair claim nobody was able to help them, and they were forced to abandon the game.
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Jack's sister Shauna said her father and brother were left devastated.
She told the M.E.N: "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 said her dad and brother spoke to another member of staff who said they could purchase two new tickets for £90.
The father and son were prepared to do this having travelled so far, but when they got to that stand they were told they were sold out.
Shauna continued: "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.
"I just want Manchester United to acknowledge what happened and just apologise.
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"A refund for the tickets would also be appreciated since they didn’t get to watch the game."
The club has not provided a comment for publication.
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