Supporters unfurl a 'Glazers out' banner on the St Mary's Road End at Broadhurst Park.
FC United and The 1958 joined forces at Broadhurst Park.
Following their FA Cup fifth round defeat to Fulham last month, Manchester United fans may have found themselves waking up on Saturday morning wondering how to spend another weekend without football.
The FA Cup quarter-finals headlined the restart of the domestic season following the March international break and Premier League football was not on the agenda, meaning it marked another football-free weekend for United supporters.
Some decided to brave the bitterly cold Manchester wind and make the trip to Broadhurst Park in Moston - the home of FC United of Manchester. The Red Rebels ply their trade in the seventh tier in English football and welcomed promotion hopefuls Stockton Town on Saturday afternoon.
With United not in action, FC United made the decision to team up with United supporters group The 1958 and reintroduce 'United United Day'. It was the first of its kind since 2019.
Plans were announced earlier in the month after FC United and The 1958 held talks, and United supporters were invited to attend the game and stage a protest against the Glazers and current ownership at Old Trafford. The 1958 led the protest in the hope of more publicity being generated in their fight against the Glazers' ownership.
FC United was formed on the back of the Glazers' takeover at Old Trafford in 2005, offering United fans an alternative option. The club has since grown and their stadium is a brilliant little venue just over seven miles away from Old Trafford.
Equipped with banners, flares and their voices, United supporters gathered outside the main entrance to Broadhurst Park at 1pm and soon made their feelings about the Glazers known. Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe also attracted criticism.
Following the initial protest, a Q&A session took place with FC United chairman Nick Boom and two members of The 1958 - Steve Crompton and Chris Haymes. Cramped into a tight space in the SMRE Bar underneath the St Mary's Road End, the trio outlined why 'United United Day' had been reintroduced, what they hoped would come to fruition as a result of the protest and offered their respective opinions on current matters at Old Trafford.
Once that Q&A session was wrapped up, journalists were invited to attend a press conference in a room located to the left of the main reception area. It was there that more light was shed on why FC United and The 1958 had joined forces for what they hope could prove to be a breakthrough moment, both at Broadhurst Park and Old Trafford.
FC United and The 1958 hosted a press conference at Broadhurst Park on Saturday.
"At FC United, we believe that the most important people in a football club are supporters and that has to be central to decisions," said Boom. "They have to think of the heritage and the history but also, and a lot more importantly, the future.
"What we are consumed about at FC United is how we get more younger people in. The one thing that you get at FC United is a voice, and when you hear about things like the fans' advisory boards, it is not a dialogue, it is a download from the club and it is done because they have to do it.
"It has not got any team, it has not got any power. And we are so far removed from that at FC United, I am held to account. If people don't like the decisions I make, they vote me out.
"I am accessible and people get to speak to me. When you look at the ownership model at Manchester United, it is so far removed from that.
"I think these guys (The 1958) get a serious seat at the table bringing supporters groups together. I think a lot of people have given up and think that we can't do it, we can't change it, but you can change it.
"You might not end up with new owners, but start with responsible custodians for an institution among the world's biggest clubs. You look where it was 20 years ago and you look where it is now, are you confident of the future going forward with the Glazers owning the majority share of it?
Manchester United supporters protested in their hundreds outside.
"I think that is the fight of it. It needs custodians that are not going to be people looking at it as a profit centre."
Communication and interaction is something FC United pride themselves on. It is why Boom was so complimentary of the work of The 1958, who continue to protest against ongoing issues at Old Trafford in the hope of much-needed change coming to fruition off the pitch.
Boom continued: "Would it be fair to say that you (The 1958) need some help as well? You have got a good team, haven't you, but this is going to endure this battle for a long time, and I think part of your concept is that you want to get into a coalition of Manchester United groups where people can get involved and help you.
"From my point of view and FC United's point of view, we're not going to be a believer in this campaign, but we will support, provide advice, contacts and help where we can.
FC United chair Nick Boom (right) answered questions at a Q&A.
"FC United will endure. Our responsibility is to our co-owners and supporters. But what we hope is that we're showing that there is a viable alternative here at FC United for those who are going to be priced out, and there are people priced out already.
"These guys (The 1958) are just helping us show that there is something else over here. You don't have to decide (which club to support). We're all United supporters still, we love Manchester United, we just follow them in a different way."
The 1958 have faced scrutiny from some sections of United's fan base, often in relation to the timing of protests.
Crompton, a member of The 1958, said: "There are certain fractions within the fan base that demand more. Ironically, when we are protesting, it's a waste of time. When we stop protesting, we get asked why have we stopped protesting.
"You can't do right for doing wrong. But we will keep going. We have got that mentality where we have batted off that negativity. It is probably how the Glazers feel now.
"They take that much s**t from people, it just goes over their head. What you have got to understand is, is that the dynamic of what you are protesting about changes. For example, we waded in on the 66 quid thing and we have a banner that says, 'It's your debt, not ours'.
Manchester United fans want change at Old Trafford. (Image: Andy Barton / SOPA Images/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images.)
"If you keep that going and say for the next three months that's what we're going to do and then the club says they are freezing ticket prices, you're like [that's put a stop to that].
"So you can't plan too far ahead because the mess that keeps coming out of the club does change."
One of the biggest gripes United supporters currently have with the club is controversial decisions on ticketing measures. Dozens of long-serving United season ticket holders could be forced to give up their seats to accommodate room for "high value" hospitality seats.
It is decisions like those that Boom said simply would not happen at FC United without fan consultation.
"The way Sir Jim Ratcliffe talks about it being just a few people that are going to be affected... it's not; it's 500 people around the tunnel," he said. "Some of those have the longest-standing season tickets and are some of their loyalist fans.
"It's not just a few people, it's 500 people that are invested emotionally in Manchester United over the years. There was no consultation.
"We couldn't make a decision like that here. We'd have online meetings, we'd call people in to have a meeting together. Our co-owners vote and decide on things.
"There has got be more fan power and what these guys (The 1958) are trying to do, we're right behind."
United could learn a thing or two from FC United.