Blackburn away is one of the highlights of the fixture list for United fans, with a massive 8,000 tickets being given to our fans. Every year a letter accompanies these tickets, warning us if we stand throughout the match as we did the season before, our allocation will be cut. They’ve yet to live up to this threat, despite 8,000 standing fans proudly singing for 90 minutes every year we go.
The fun starts in the Fernhurst and carries on down the road up to the stadium. As we pile in to both tiers, filling the whole stand, the singing continues.
It’s not just the volume that is impressive, but the array of songs we sing. Once we’ve exhausted the regular songs, they’ll be a chorus or two for Jaap Stam or Nicky Butt. Roy Keane’s name was sung loudly, reminding ol Incey of what he’s missing out on.
Darren Fletcher, who has played in far more matches than we might have anticipated during the summer, has praised our away support.
“It was a great boost,” Fletcher said. “Our fans always fill that end of the stadium. They are fantastic. Our away fans are the best in the country. They get behind you and make it a great atmosphere. It was an away game, but our fans made so much noise.”
It was a quality atmosphere from start to finish, well done to all present, made me proud. And as for the irony my location, I was sat in the Darwen End, Upper Tier, Back Row - I could literally touch the fcuking roof.
Thought the police were very heavy handed with the crowd in the Fernhurst before the game - totally unwarranted. They were dragging off young lads that were merely enjoying themselves among themselves (singing, jumping up and down together, and every now and then spraying beer on each other - harmless stuff), not a hint of danger or trouble or bad feeling - but they couldnt help themselves get involved.
A great day though. All that was missing was a train station closer to Ewood - what a walk, in that fcuking rain…