How I lost my dream job... to a Manc (Well he’s a Man City fan, so that’s kind of OK)

Let’s set the scene: we’re sitting in a third year convergence workshop and suddenly the lecturer says: “I’ve got a dream job opportunity... but I can only give it to one of you.”

One student had been chosen for a night’s work experience with uefa.com, helping to cover Liverpool v Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League. This involved writing match chat for the live blog of European football’s governing body during Liverpool’s magnificent 4-0 victory over the Spanish champions. As if that wasn’t enough, the student would be attending the post-match press conference with Rafael Benítez and Real coach Juande Ramos.

The stakes were high and the rewards even higher. Many believed they were the one to be picked; others thought that they had it in the bag. I, in fact, visualised myself standing alongside Anfield greats who I had idolised for years, conjuring up gleeful images of these Liverpool immortals actually becoming my friends.

But no, one football fan, whose allegiances lie at the opposite end of the East Lancs Road, whose team prefer to don the sky blue shirts of Manchester rather than the distinguished red and white of Liverpool, was first in the queue for glory.

Knocking on the door of journalism’s elite, Dan Burke’s calling had finally materialised. The six foot six soft-spoken Manc Mountain had singularly soared into JMU folklore, proving that temperament, writing style, and the ability to have "ice in your veins, not stars in your eyes" were far more important on a big work assignment, rather than football allegiances.

With the sickly sweet feeling of losing out to a Mancunian still reverberating through my being, my only respite was to reflect on what might have been. What a feeling it would have been to tread those narrow steps up to the prestigious Anfield press box, taking my seat, reading my team list, drinking in the atmosphere and beginning to write, but it wasn’t to be. Fortunately, I was able to attend that eventful evening, seated high up in the Centenary Stand, and I watched as Liverpool took Madrid apart bit by bit and won 4-0. It was a night that will last long in the memory for years, and will last even longer for Dan.

The job on offer went to the man who literally stands head and shoulders above the rest of us and deservedly so. So, well done to the Website Editor.

Exciting Times? You'd better believe it, Dan... and you don't get too many of those at Eastlands, eh?