Davies was an ambitious man and, despite the capacity of 50,000 at Bank Street, the ground was too hemmed in by factories to satisfy his vision for the future. After United won their first 1 FA Cup, in 1909, he paid £60,000 to purchase a site five miles away, near Old Trafford cricket ground. The new ground was built by Messrs Brameld and Smith of Manchester under the supervision of Scottish architect Archibald Leitch, who designed many famous stands, including those at Ibrox and White Hart Lane.

The Second World War was to bring more problems to Old Trafford. The ground was close to the Trafford Park Industrial Estate, which was a prime target for German bombers, and on the night of 11th March, 1941, the stadium suffered direct hits from two German bombs. One nearly demolished the Main Stand and another hit the United Road terrace and scorched the pitch.

In August 1945, the War Damage Commission granted the club £4,800 to clear the debris and a further £17,474 to rebuild the stands. While Old Trafford was rebuilt, United played "home" games at Manchester City's Maine Road ground in Moss Side. City received £5,000 for every game that United played, plus a share of the gate receipts. United were attracting huge attendances, so City reaped the rewards, but in November 1948 City gave United notice to quit, and on Wednesday 24th August, 1949, United ran out at Old Trafford once again to face Bolton Wanderers for their first League fixture at the ground since 1939.

By 1954, the ground was back to full use and on 23rd March, 1957 Old Trafford's floodlights were turned on for the first time, when Bolton Wanderers were once again the visitors for another milestone in the stadium's history.

The Stretford End was covered in 1959, and 1,500 seats were added to the rear of this stand in 1962. In 1965 a cantilever stand was designed by Manchester architects Atherden Fuller, a company which remains involved with the redevelopment of Old Trafford. Built as Old Trafford prepared to stage games for the 1966 World Cup Finals, this stand along the United Road side of the ground reflected the fact that some spectators wanted to stand and others preferred to sit. Private boxes were also built at the rear of the stand.

When completed, the United Road Stand seated 10,000 people and had a covered standing paddock in front. It was the beginning of the stadium that we know today, and housed the United side that won the European Cup in 1968. In 1973, the cantilever was extended behind the Scoreboard End to add an additional 5,500 seats to what became known as "K" Stand.

The next part of the ground to be developed, between 1978 and 1984, was the Main Stand, which was given a new cantilever roof in three sections. New club offices were added behind this stand. When the corner between the Main Stand and the Scoreboard End was developed into a family stand in 1985, it meant that the cantilever roof swept around 75 per cent of Old Trafford. The plan that chairman Louis Edwards and manager Sir Matt Busby had envisaged in the early '60s was to have been completed with a new Stretford End stand, including both a standing paddock and seating. As a result of the disaster at Hillsborough on 15th April, 1989, the plans had to be changed.

In 1992, the Stretford End and adjacent Stretford Paddock were used for the very last time in Norman Whiteside's testimonial. The following year a 10,164 all-seater stand costing £10 million took its place to make Old Trafford the most complete stadium in the country.

Concerns that the 44,800 all-seated capacity would be too small for a club of United's stature were soon confirmed. Despite a lack of atmosphere since the loss of the terraces, demand for tickets vastly exceeded the supply. In 1995 the club announced plans for a giant new stand on the United Road side of the ground. Seating 25,300 people, the stand would have the biggest cantilever roof in the world. This new "North Stand" was completed in 1996, but even then, United's first-team home games continued to sell out. It soon became clear that further expansion would be needed and so, in May 1999, the club embarked on a three-year programme to redevelop the East and West stands. With an additional 6,200 seats at each end, it will have a capacity of 67,400 by the start of the 2001/02 season.

It's no wonder that Sir Bobby Charlton referred to Old Trafford as "a theatre of dreams." No surprise either that UEFA has given it their prestigious seal of approval, declaring it to be of grade "A" status. Anyone privileged enough to visit will soon tell you - the place United call "home" is a truly magnificent stadium.