Two football fans who feared they would miss kick-off after getting caught in five-mile-tailbacks on the M40 arrived just in time to watch their team triumph.
Brighton & Hove Albion supporters Jayk Valentine-O’Connell and Oli Brown were on their way north this morning (Saturday, September 16) for their side’s Premier League fixture against Manchester United when they got stuck in major delays on the motorway near Bicester.
A multi-vehicle crash, which reportedly involved around 10 vehicles, according to AA Traffic, had left the motorway gridlocked.
READ MORE: M40 delays between J8 and J9 after '10 vehicle' crash
Mr Valentine-O’Connell posted on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, that it didn’t “look likely” they would arrive at Old Trafford in time for the 3pm kick-off.
Luckily, the traffic eased by 1pm, and the pair arrived in time to catch the final four minutes of the first half.
While it may have been a frustrating start to the day, they were surely cheered up as they watched the Seagulls thrash United 3-1 to continue their strong start to the season.
Police have confirmed that there were no fatalities in this morning’s crash.
The incident occurred at some time before 11am and all three lanes of the M40 northbound between Junction 8 (Oxford Services) and Junction 9 (Bicester) were shut soon after.
South Central Ambulance Service responded to the crash at around 11.30am, and one social media user reported that four ambulances and three fire engines were at the scene.
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By this time, the tailback had grown to four miles.
Motorists were told the delays would last 45 minutes, and some exited their vehicles and walked around on the motorway tarmac.
One woman even opened her boot and started petting her dog, pictures from the scene showed.
Some of those stuck in the traffic were football fans on their way to Villa Park in Birmingham for a Premier League fixture between Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.
Villa supporter Chris McNerlin feared he would not make the 3pm kick-off.
“Every week we follow. Not sure we’re going to make it today though,” he posted on X.
Another social media user, @J__CPFC, who was en route to the same match to support Palace, added that the “M40 hasn’t moved an inch in 45 minutes” and worried he “might not even make kick off” with “Villa Park still two hours away.”
By 12.30pm, all lanes of the motorway were reopened, and traffic started to clear.
The authorities did not respond when contacted for further details about the crash, when they were called, nor if there were any injuries.
The collision also had a knock-on impact on the surrounding road network across Oxford as motorists tried to avoid the motorway closure.
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