Best Seat in the House?

My very last birthday gift - hospitality tickets for United v Raith at Tannadice which L told me about on my birthday and which I have been eagerly looking forward to ever since. 
We were in the George Fox suite, close to where I used to stand on 'the cliffs' - the steep terracing that ran down one side of the pitch - back in the early 1980s. On our way to Dundee we got a message from L's sister that her son, L's nephew D, had arranged a parking spot for us. D runs the security at Tannadice and we just had to tell the guys on the barrier who we were and we'd get place to park. I think we were both a little unsure that the secret code - "I'm D's Auntie L" would work but sure enough the guys on the barrier said, 'no problem, there's a spot for you next to D's car' and directed us to our spot. 
We were a little early and so had time to walk down to see the flat that L lived in when she was a student in Dundee before walking round the ground to the entrance to the hospitality suite. We got glasses of champagne and were shown to our seats, all more than two hours ahead of kick-off. 
There was a free bar and a good three course meal - we had the vegetarian option which was very tasty. The other guys round our table were all very friendly - we had a good chat with the man next to L. Although a season ticket holder it was only his second visit to hospitality and he and his mate had picked the game at the start of the season as they thought it likely they would get a Christmas dinner. Which they did. 
There was a short quiz and a guitarist playing some live music. We were amongst the first to head out to our seats, at quarter to three but still missed the mention of me on the scoreboard on the other side of the pitch. We heard afterwards that D had arranged something - he'd got hold of a picture of me and the message was 'Happy 60th Jon. Forty-two years an Arab through thick and thin. It's the hope that gets you" it was a real shame we missed it but a lovely thought. Unfortunately the message was to prove prophetic.
The game itself was a tight affair. Raith had gone two points clear with another late win against Arbroath in the week and had clearly come with a game plan that a draw would be a great result. They did everything they could to disrupt the play, falling over under the slightest challenge, which the referee sadly seemed only to happy to give them fouls for. When a Raith player quite clearly led with his elbow in a challenge on a United forward although he didn't make contact the intent was clear to see but the referee only showed a yellow card. 
At half time it was 0-0 and it was back to the lounge for tea and a macaroni pie. We were again amongst the first back outside, responding to the announcement that the players were coming back out, but even we missed the start of the second half as we made our way back to our seats. 
Both teams had forced the respective keepers into good saves in the early minutes of the half before a Raith forward got possession in the corner of the United penalty area. Despite the attentions of several United defenders he kept possession as he worked his way back into a more central position before unleashing an unsaveable shot into the far corner. The 2000 Raith fans in the old Shed end not surprisingly went wild at the moment of brilliance.
From then on United struggled to create decent chances and Raith worked hard to close them down, and kill the game. More players fell to the ground all over the pitch at the slightest of challenges and time ebbed away. As in the fixture in Kirkcaldy the Raith keeper made some good saves and a chance in the last minute of injury time was headed over the bar as United lost their unbeaten league record, just as Celtic had done the weekend before. (Extra during late United pressure.)
That leaves Falkirk as the only team with an unbeaten record in the pro leagues in Scotland and England. Falkirk are unbeaten in 21 games in all competitions, including a convincing 4-2 win over United in the Challenge Cup quarter-final last month. United were actually the last team to beat them, way back in July when United won their first game in the Viaplay group stages, with qualification already beyond them after two defeats in their first two games.
We all trooped back into the lounge for what would be consolation rather than celebratory drinks. Not surprisingly the mood was a little down. The club legend in the lounge was Davie Dodds - one of United's greats during the 1980s glory days, but I didn't go up to see him. Not sure what I would say and it might all be a little embarrassing. If it had been Luggy I like to think I would have gone to speak to him despite the common held idea that you should never meet your heroes. I don't know how well he (Luggy) is doing these days with his Parkinson's.
The first team player coming for the Q&A was originally announced as keeper Jack Wilton but it was actually striker Louis Moult who took on the poisoned chalice. He had probably been United's best player, even if he spent a lot of time playing rather too deep for the home fans' liking. His hold up play and lay-offs only work if team mates run on beyond him to take advantage of the space created. It still seems that the team, and in particular the younger players, are not quite there with the level of control needed to take the ball on at pace. Louis said the things the disappointed fans wanted to hear and stressed the importance of togetherness for both team and fans, after a couple of days of disappointment. It is still just one defeat and there is half the season to go.
We left shortly before six - others were still drinking up their last drinks. It struck me how much the game seemed secondary for many of the people in the lounge, when for me it was the reason to be there and all the rest was just the trimmings, even if they were very good trimmings.
We then went up to L's sisters to watch the Strictly Final - a very good final, with L's other sister joining us on the portal. We were all pleased with the result. And then a drive back home and the end of a long day. I guess for many 'more authentic' fans, this would be a typical Saturday, especially if you travel to away games but for me it was a rather unusual football Saturday.