Sheffield United superfan flew from Portugal only to be told match against Oxford had been cancelled
A lifelong Blade has admitted that it was ‘disappointing’ to be told his favourite team wouldn’t be playing - after flying from Portugal to go to Bramall Lane.
“My first game was in 1965 - Stoke at home,” Robert Mark Hurst told The Star when reflecting on his lifelong affiliation with Sheffield United.
In the subsequent 60 years, Robert has been a stalwart supporter, and even after moving country in the 1980s regularly flies back just to watch the Blades play.
In 2002 - 2003 season, he made it to 28 games from his home in Portugal to watch his home side in a frantic year where they beat Liverpool in the Bramall Lane leg of the League Cup semi-final, took on Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final and lost out to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the First Division play-off final at Cardiff.
But last weekend he faced a major disappointment, when on Sunday, January 4 he found out that the planned match against Oxford United had been cancelled at the last minute.
“I was sat in Sheaf Island when they announced it,” the 65-year-old said.
“I usually come back six to eight time a year - I managed to get to the Leicester game at least so it wasn’t all lost.”
Sheffield United made the sudden announcement to cancel Sunday’s game at 10am, just two hours before kick-off.
In a publicly released statement, the club explained how in the morning a ‘small section of the playing surface was raised as a cause for concern’ due to it being partly frozen, despite undersoil heating having been used the night before.
Oxford United’s players and staff had already arrived at Bramall Lane when the game was called off, with fans turning to social media to share their disappointment after having driven up to Sheffield only to be turned away.
Robert said he had met many away fans the night before the game and shared their disappointment at the cancellation.
He said: “It’s a bit harsh on Oxford fans.
“I met some of them the night before when I sat drinking with them.
“They must have had a major disappointment.”
He is currently waiting to hear back about a refund, with United saying that the game will be rescheduled and all tickets will remain valid for the new date.