FANS DELIGHT AT GRABBING ‘WILLY WONKA GOLDEN TICKETS’
SHORTLY before 5pm, the gaggle gathered under Wembley’s arch were invited to make the final ascent. Tickets and test results in hand, the first of the 4,000 headed towards the new Olympic Steps and a glimpse of life as it once was peered back into view. For fans such as Luke Beck, 19, that short climb into Wembley marked the end of a year-long wait to see his team again. For supporters nationwide, it could represent a first step — no, a giant leap — to making their own return to live football. This was one of three pilot events here aimed at phasing fans back. Next week, 8,000 supporters will come for the Carabao Cup final. On May 15, there will be 21,000 to watch the FA Cup final. The roadmap towards the Euros and eventually full stadiums hinges on the success of evenings like this. No wonder the paparazzi wanted their pound of flesh. Luke stood in his Leicester shirt as photographers huddled for a shot. ‘Thumbs up! Hold the badge!’ they cried as his friend Josh watched, armed with his own disposable camera. Fans have been barred from grounds since December; the gates of Wembley have been locked for 13 months. Yesterday, Brent residents and key workers could apply for the hottest ticket in town. Every winner had to provide a negative Covid test and they will be asked to take another in the coming days. It’s a price worth paying. ‘It’s like the Willy Wonka golden ticket, isn’t it?’ Luke told A few hundred yards away, supporters heading out of Wembley Park station were greeted by a glaring screen and an important reminder. ‘Always keep 2m apart,’ it read. In normal times, of course, barely a hair’s breadth would separate the throng of bodies streaming under Bobby Moore Bridge. Yesterday, a more steady flow of traffic walked Wembley Way with only a smattering of club colours. Fintan, 22, was already wearing his Southampton shirt when he arrived two hours before kick-off. It was his first game since last February; girlfriend Sophia had never been to one of any kind. ‘Quite a big one to go to as my first match,’ she said. ‘But very exciting!’ And even amid this strange baptism came the comforting sights of flags and tinfoil trophies. Shortly before Fintan and Sophia reached the steps, Luke was posing for the cameras once more, this time alongside a rival fan. It was that kind of day. The only hint of pre-match tension came when Piers Corbyn — brother of former Labour Party leader Jeremy and a London Mayoral candidate — led a protest against Covid restrictions outside the ground. It didn’t go down too well and their speeches and songs were briefly drowned out by a chanting group of Foxes fans. Among them was 47-year-old Lee who went to his first Leicester game in April 1978. He’s never seen them lift the FA Cup; yesterday he didn’t even have a ticket. But who knows? That could change in a few weeks’ time.