I saw Man Utd’s ‘Class of 22’ fight for Cup glory & now I’ve reason to hope

Football is a weird thing. It is ultimately just 22 players running around on an arbitrarily sized pitch, trying to get a ball through some metal poles on either end.

There is no rhyme or reason as to why we, collectively, have decided that this is what we want to dedicate large portions of our lives to watching.

Utilitarians must pull their hair out at us because it certainly doesn’t provide us with a net benefit, emotionally, financially or otherwise.

Instead, we football fans are driven by something beyond what is actually good for us; irrational, insatiable hope.

Whatever the facts, we cling to the chance that our team wins against all the odds. Down 2-0 in the 90th minute? Get one goal and you never know. Lost the last five games in a row? This one will turn the tide. Haven’t got enough players to actually start the match? Ah, who needs a goalkeeper anyway?

It was therefore hope (and the prospect of a Guinness) that had me leaving the house at 6pm on a Wednesday evening to go and watch the FA Youth Cup final at Old Trafford and cheer on a club that frankly seems to hate me.

But – and not for the first time this season – the Manchester United Under-18s produced a performance that was worthy of the storied badge that was stitched to their red shirts.

Nearly 30 years on from the ‘Class of ’92’, the ‘Class of 22’ wrote their own names in the history books. Their unrelenting message to the first team?

We’re coming.

There is a buzz around the pub pre-match. Fairly uniquely for Manchester, the pub we’re at has pictures of both Manchester City and Manchester United teams adorning its walls. But right now the place is full of United fans on their way to the game.

Soon it was on the tram and off to Old Trafford, where