96-year-old Greensby Town fan Jonathan Hall is looking forward to a long-lost match with Manchester United, the first matchup between the two teams since 1948.
Hall, who has been a supporter of Greensby Town since World War II, once gave up on his hope of seeing the two teams meet again in his lifetime. But the former psychiatrist will watch the League Cup at Brundell Park Stadium, which the club calls a "one-generation" contest.
"Even at my age, I still feel a little excited," Dr Hall said. "I'm both excited and nostalgic, but very lucky. I'll enjoy the moment." said David Cooper, chairman of Greensby United Football Club, "Everyone is very excited. The kids are all going to watch the game. We have a club season ticket that will be distributed to teams during the season. We even have some Manchester United fans."
Greensby Town is expected to have about 9,000 fans coming to the court, and the tickets will be sold out within a few days. The club raised the ticket price by £3 but did not specify the economic value of the match to them.
Club CEO Polly Bancroft: "Demand is far beyond supply. We are overwhelmed by inquiries. We really want to make sure that the core fan base is taken care of, and also recognize that it is a business opportunity. Hopefully we have found the right balance."
Local businesses also benefited from this game. "I'm very excited. It's an important game and it's good for the community. We'll prepare more fish, maybe twice as often, but we have to be cautious because the fish are very expensive. This extra income can make up for the downturn." Lucy Mobs and Moira Tabois, who work in the club store, said the game brought a huge surprise to the town: "I've never seen us against Manchester United, I've always wanted to see it, so I'll finish my wish list this time. I've already felt excited and it's going to be a dream come true."
As for the score prediction? Mobs said firmly, "We will win. You must believe this."