I was born and lived in NI for most of my adult life. In 2004 I had just turned 18 and in my final year of school, ready to finish my A-Levels and go to Uni to study Computer Science.
Myself and my brother, who was at Uni in Belfast at the time, decided to go to the Graz qualifying game at Anfield - Rafa's first game that season, in the hope we could get a ticket for one of the CL group games. Ended up going to the game and got tickets for all three group games - Monaco, Deportivo and Olympiakos. I'm still at school, and travelling over for three midweek games meant missing two days of school each time, pretty much. My Mum wrote a note on each of those occasions telling the truth - I wasn't at school because I travelled to Liverpool for the football. My form teacher was also my IT teacher, and a United fan - he wasn't really that impressed to be honest.
So we draw Leverkusen and that was seen as a hard tie for us. Myself and my brother decide we absolutely have to go and we did. Then Juventus came around and there's not a chance we can't go to that game, and quite possibly it might be our last chance that season. I came back from the Juventus game and I remember smiling smugly, handing my absence note to my teacher who opened it, read it and said, 'Enjoy this one Ciara - this is as far as you're going go.' Manc twat.
Went over for the Chelsea game and then have a decision to make about Istanbul... My IT exam was on the 25th, which meant I couldn't go... Went home and spoke to my parents and my Mum was very much of the opinion I should go - once in a lifetime and all that. My Dad was fairly quiet on the subject. My brothers were teachers and one of them suggested contacting the exam board and seeing if I could sit the exam elsewhere or another time... One of them contacted the exam board and it turns out the exam was being sat on the 26th May at a school or college in Wavertree. Problem solved!
Went into school the next day and explained to my teacher and he was furious - couldn't believe I was even contemplating this.
I went and spoke with the Vice Principal and asked him very nicely to contact the exam board and get me a seat there in Wavertree on the 26th. I was due back from Istanbul quite early, so should have plenty of time to make the exam in the afternoon. The flight from Liverpool was that night, so time wouldn't have been a problem.
Everything was set, so travelled to Liverpool and then onto Istanbul and we all know the rest. The airport was chaotic and they were just putting random people on random flights in the early hours, but we got back to Liverpool quite early that morning. And then discover the parade was happening that day...
Do I go and sit my A-Level? Or stay for the parade?
Easy choice - the parade won and the exam skipped.
I was not a popular person when I got back to school amongst the staff. Alot of people were very unimpressed.
Got my A-Levels results a few weeks later and managed to get a B in IT, thanks to an earlier exam and my coursework. Got into Uni to do my course, graduated with a degree and now work full time in IT. And been to a European Cup final. Everyone's a winner!
