Manchester United supporters endured a miserable trip to Hull after their team's disappointing Premier League opener was followed by widespread disruption to train services heading back to Manchester.
Thousands of United fans had travelled almost 100 miles to the MKM Stadium with hopes of watching Michael Carrick begin his first competitive campaign as the club's permanent manager with a victory.
Instead, the afternoon quickly turned sour, both on the pitch and off it.
United endured a nightmare opening 45 minutes against newly promoted Hull City, conceding twice before the 38th minute as the hosts seized control of the contest.
The early goals left the visiting supporters with little to celebrate and placed Carrick's side under immediate pressure in their first league outing of the campaign.
But the frustration among the travelling contingent was compounded in the 73rd minute when the stadium announcer delivered news that threatened to make an already difficult journey even worse.
Several train services travelling towards Manchester had been cancelled, leaving supporters to consider alternative arrangements for their journey home.
The announcement stated:
“The 15:03 and 16:03 services towards Manchester have been cancelled.
“Passengers affected by these cancellations should check the latest service information.”
Home fans revel in United misery
The announcement was greeted with cheers from the Hull supporters, who took obvious delight in the difficulties facing their visitors.
With United already two goals down, the cancellation of the services meant that fans who had made the lengthy trip to Hull faced uncertainty over how they would get home after the final whistle.
The home support continued to taunt their opponents, with Hull fans directing chants towards the United end.
“You’re going home in a taxi,” they sang.
The chant added another layer to an afternoon that had already gone badly for the travelling supporters.
For many United fans, the trip had begun with optimism. The club's supporters had travelled in expectation of seeing their side make a strong start to a campaign in which significant ambitions had been placed on Carrick and his squad.
Instead, they found themselves watching their team struggle against a newly promoted opponent while simultaneously worrying about the disruption to their journey home.
A difficult start for Carrick
The defeat represented an early test of Carrick's leadership and his ability to respond when his team encounters adversity.
United had arrived with hopes of challenging near the top of the Premier League, but Hull's energetic performance exposed weaknesses and gave the hosts a platform to secure a memorable victory.
The setback was made even more frustrating for the visitors by the fact that Hull had 10 players unavailable through injury but still managed to produce a fearless display.
For the United faithful, however, the disappointment extended beyond the result.
The cancelled trains quickly became a talking point on social media, with rival supporters using the disruption to mock United fans caught up in the travel chaos.
What had begun as a long-awaited opening-day trip had therefore developed into a double disappointment: United were struggling on the pitch, while supporters faced an uncertain and potentially difficult journey back to Manchester.
Carrick now has the task of ensuring that the defeat does not set the tone for the season.
With expectations high and pressure already building after the surprise loss, United will need a swift response in their next fixtures to restore confidence and demonstrate that the afternoon in Hull was an early setback rather than a sign of deeper problems.