THE STEELERS' 2005 SEASON FINALE

As the 2005 NFL season came to a climax at the beginning of December, the Steelers’ team took on the ominous look of someone sentenced to hang about on death row for five weeks. There might be five games left, but inevitably the guillotine would fall down onto the Steelers’ Super Bowl pretensions with a disappointing crunch.

Coming off their biggest defeat of the season, against the mighty Indianapolis Colts, the Steelers had to first overcome their division rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals, to put themselves back onto the path to their destiny.

As we know, the Steelers lost. The Steelers fans' ever-present optimism took a big knock. The squirming of their biggest fans grew to a titanic struggle between fact and fiction. A talented group of players, led by a great young quarterback who had restored his teams’ pride, were now deep in a hole

That defeat pushed the Steelers back to a 7-5 record with little chance of making the playoffs unless they won their remaining four games and relied on a heavy helping hand from their potential playoff challengers.

After three straight losses, the signs were as promising as a letter of intent from Saddam Hussein saying the world would be safe in his hands.

History is there to be made and the Steelers were certainly going to write another chapter for the NFL record book. Engulfed in a wave of confidence, the Steelers won those four games and led their fans to the first part of a dream that became later became reality.

Around the same time, I received an invitation to my nephew Iain’s wedding, scheduled for February 4 th. Naturally I accepted, but with one provision. I wouldn’t attend if the Steelers made it to Detroit. I did appreciate that was the date for Super Bowl XL and, as a Steelers’ fan; you always live your football life with a lot of expectancy.

As the worse seeds in the AFC, little progress was expected from the Steelers, but you have to be prepared, so I thought it only right when I accepted my nephew’s invite to make that proviso. Now that’s what I call looking ahead, even with a Steelers fan’s faith.

At this time, I was also planning a trip to Poland for early 2006. I wanted to visit when there was snow on the ground, so had to ensure it was January/February time.

So the foundations for the groundwork to Detroit had to be done this early. After my experience of Super Bowl XXX seeing the Steelers lose (to Dallas), I wanted to be ready for this new challenge – if presented with that opportunity.

As we all now know, that chance came along in a flurry of victories as the Steelers became focussed on their rising prospects and their fans’ belief.

Suddenly, it was a fact, the Steelers won the AFC Championship and were going to the Super Bowl. Life just became that little bit more of a test for those fans wanting to follow their team to Detroit. The immense relief from seeing the Steelers make the big one soon evaporated into a cloud of concern regarding where was I (and a lot of other Steelers’ fans) going to find a ticket.

I already knew that there were flights and hotels available, but what about that elusive ticket? With the Steelers receiving just 11,000 tickets to dish out to season ticket holders and everyone connected with the team; there was no way I wanted to add to their ordeal.

The travel arrangements were easy. I had checked the week before, more in hope than overconfidence. Flight and hotel were still available. The search for the ticket was going to prove more difficult, supplemented by a touch of trauma.

I had bid for a couple of tickets during the week before the Championship game. They were in England and at such a low price that I knew I could resell them in the event that I wasn’t going to need them.

Ebay removed the item and the explanation as to why, by the seller, was unintelligible. He continued to try and sell them to me off the auction site. That taught me to proceed with caution.

Ebay was one source, but I trod very carefully through the minefield of obstacles put in my path. Some tickets could only be sent within the USA. Some tickets came in pairs. This wasn’t such a problem, provided the price was right. Fellow Steelers’ fan Simon Cutts had already made it known that he wanted to go.

I had a painful week. Searching here and searching there. All the time in contact with Rock ‘n Roll Ed from Pittsburgh to see what the tickets were going for in Pittsburgh. The cost of $2000 was just a little too much to pay without giving it a lot of thought, especially as I was buying from overseas with all the logistics of receiving the ticket before I left England.

In the end, I decided that it was adventure too far.

It was the impossible dream. I keep urging everyone to build me a real Tardis. I so much want Dr Who’s time machine just to get to my seats in Anfield and Heinz Field with no travel involved.

Can you imagine that? It would be absolute heaven.

On the Friday, a week before the game, I had organised a meal for Jodie's 30th birthday with friends and family. We obviously discussed my now defunct trip to Detroit.. Knowing how much the Steelers mean to me, Jodie couldn't understand why I had decided not to make the trip.

Well, she had been to see them four times, including an amazing trip on my 50 th birthday when she found herself eating lunch with the players. Talk about priceless memories.

She convinced me that I had to go. This time it was for real. The stress of arranging it all was now going to push me to extreme limits.

I was concerned about the cost, but I had taken out some insurance with the bookies for such an event.

At the start of the season, I had taken 18/1 and 16/1 about the Steelers winning the Super Bowl and I also had a nice touch at the beginning of the playoffs at 16/1 on the Steelers to win the AFC Championship.

Another phone call to Ed to confirm that I would be there.

Now the search for that obscure ticket became more desperate. Flights and hotel were still there. Ticket proving very elusive unless you wanted to part with two thousand dead presidents with your fingers crossed.

On the Tuesday I had almost given up until my colleague found two tickets on a 24 hour Ebay auction with the seller living just up the road from where I worked. Great stuff and I would leave the UK with the tickets in my hands. I bid for them and emailed the alleged seller saying I could pick them up locally and hand over the cash no problem provided I won the auction.

When I got home that evening, there was an email from an Ebay member saying that the person selling the ticket was using someone else’s ID. I didn’t even realised that went on. How long have I been using the auction site?

Now, what do you do? Do you believe what this unknown member tells you? Fortunately for me, what he said did make a lot of sense, so I took notice. Doesn't matter how keen you are to get to the Super Bowl, tread carefully.

When my initial low bid was overtaken, I stopped bidding. Then I received a reply from the seller to my earlier email suggesting I pick the tickets up saying he didn’t know what tickets I was talking about.

Blimey, so the whistleblower was right! Ebay withdrew the item before the auction closed. That was the last of my searches on Ebay. One avenue closed. Now I really was getting fraught.

A ticket was no good without flights and the flights were no good without a ticket.

Wednesday, I eventually had two screens in front of me. One with the booking for flights and hotel, which were still available; and the other screen showing a ticket agency selling Super Bowl tickets.

They had to go hand in hand. One was no good without the other.

I took the plunge. I brought a $3000 ticket, in with the Steelers fans, then immediately booked the flights and hotel. Job done. Off home to get ready for night school. All wrapped up. Or so I thought.

Luckily I checked my emails when I arrived home. There was one from the ticket agency withdrawing the sale of the ticket because I had asked for it to go to a different address (to Ed in Pittsburgh) than that of the credit card holder (Fareham.)

All ready to go on the trip you can only dream about, but now without a ticket! Does it ever get worse than that? Do you pinch yourself to see if it really is just a nightmare and you’ll suddenly snap back to how it was?

Do you ever get the impression that the fickle finger of fate is working against you? One step forward, then two back.

No good crying over the proverbial spilt milk… get on the phone to Ed. Ask Ed, he’ll know. And he did. And that was the nightmare over.

Ed was concerned about me getting a ticket that was a forgery and all my recent Ebay experiences had taught me to be ultra careful.

But, it was back online I went. On Ed’s recommend to Steelerstickets.com. Speaking to Ron direct was probably a bonus as he made me feel at ease knowing I was getting a genuine ticket.

So there it was, the Wednesday evening before the Super Bowl, the adventure had finally been put together. After emailing my apologies to night school, there was even time to pack a suitcase.

Next: Page 2 of 3 .