This was not just the first bow for Erik ten Hag’s class of 2024/25, but also a night that thousands of Reds had waited more than three decades for: the rebirth, or reaffirmation, of the Stretford End as the aorta of Manchester United’s home support.

‘That’s what it used to be like,’ eulogised one old boy – a veteran of the Tommy Doc years – as thousands of grinning faces started to ascend the steps to the bridge.

As approvals go, it was a more-than-decent start.

In January of last year, the club announced its decision to remove the executive seating that had been located at the heart of the Stretford End since 1993, in support of ‘successful ongoing efforts to enhance the Old Trafford atmosphere’. And Fulham was the very first litmus test for the move’s effectiveness.

As I entered the ground around 15 minutes before kick-off, The Red Army (TRA) – a fan group dedicated to improving the noise levels at Old Trafford – were already in place, and that central area in the Stretford End’s lower tier was bedecked in a wash of flags.

I sit just to the left of this area (if you’re facing the pitch) but, instantly, its broad effect was noticeable.

As United’s XI took to the grass, the noise boomed forward. It always does at this point, and it’s not unusual for opening day to inspire giddier, gobbier levels of enthusiasm than normal, but this was different.

As the game began, the passion was not merely exploding from the very heart of the Stretford End, but also inspiring the sections around it (W203, where I sit, being one) to complement the din.

Almost everyone in these areas will sing when it comes to big games (no-one will need much encouragement this afternoon, of course), but on matchday one, it felt like TRA’s centrality helped to build and sustain things in a fresh manner.

If United had nabbed the goal our first-half performance deserved, the volume would have stretched for even longer, been raised even louder. Of that, I’m sure.

Tension understandably grew in the second period, as Fulham embarked on some dangerous counterattacks and United’s search for an opener grew more agonising.

But then came Zirkzee’s late, assured intervention, and euphoric (and relieved) noise once again boomed around the Theatre of Dreams.

As the players left the pitch, Lisandro Martinez and many others could be seen gazing up, urging the crowd on, responding to the fans’ calls.

Such dynamic, direct moments of intimacy between players and fans is exactly what the nu-Stretford End set-up is there for: to help strengthen the ties that bind the team and its home support; to inspire us to soar together as one.

One-nil was good, but the hope offered by a reborn Stretford End prompted a different kind of long-term excitement.

With more fans (and more young fans) now able to become a Stretford Ender, the aim is to build from here and grow an even more formidable wall of sound.

The atmosphere at last season’s FA Cup win over Liverpool will remain stained into the memory of everyone present that day, and the league match weeks later delivered further moments of delirium.

Could the forthcoming 90 minutes against our greatest rivals deliver something even more cacophonous? That’s our mission this afternoon, whether you’re in the Stretford End or anywhere else…