A couple expecting a game against Hull City stumble upon a KCOM game at the MKM

When Julia Fulopa planned a soccer night for her boyfriend, she had no idea what a mix-up was about to happen.

Julia thought she had secured tickets to see Hull City play Coventry at the MKM Stadium on Wednesday, not knowing that the Tigers were actually playing 140 miles away at the Coventry Building Society Arena.

Instead, when Julia and her boyfriend Szymon arrived at MKM, they accidentally ended up at KCOM's annual employee game – a friendly competition between two teams of employees at the telecommunications company, followed by hot dogs and drinks at the stadium bar.

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The event has been a staple of the company's social calendar for a decade and is one of the best perks of working for the Hull-based communications company.

Julia, a Spanish interpreter originally from Hungary, admitted: “Honestly, I don’t know anything about football. That’s why I didn’t realize that the team that’s first on the ticket is the one that’s playing at home.”

“As we approached the stadium we began to suspect something was wrong due to the lack of noise. We wondered where all the fans were? However, when we arrived at reception the lady simply led us into the lounge where we were greeted and greeted with a burger we found unusual – but pleasant.

“It was only when we went to the security guard and asked him if we needed to go to the South Stand because that's where our tickets were that we realized Hull were playing at Coventry and we were in the wrong stadium. “I mean, all the signs were there, we had just didn't notice it!

“We saw the funny side and thought we might as well stay and watch the game in progress. We chatted to the other KCOM people there who were very friendly and made us feel welcome so we had a really good evening.” It was certainly an experience. Not what we expected, but it was fun!”

Arsenal fan Szymon, 35, a machine operator who lives in Hull but is originally from Poland, said although he missed the game against Coventry he enjoyed joining the 300 spectators made up of friends and family of the KCOM players put together.

“We thought it was strange when it was so quiet,” he said. “It wasn't what we expected, but it was still a good experience. The atmosphere was very happy and everyone was having fun.”

And what about the quality of play on the pitch? Was it the beautiful game at its best?

“The game was OK, it wasn't quite like watching Hull City but it was good quality,” he said. “We saw two good goals, so the players performed well.”

To make up for the Tigers' missed promotion push, KCOM and Hull City gifted the pair two tickets to see real Hull City players in action at Saturday's home game against Ipswich. As an additional gift, Julia and Syzmon receive a City souvenir jersey as a reminder of their day.

A KCOM spokesperson said: “We are delighted that Julia and Syzmon were able to enjoy our Play On the Pitch event and I hope the quality of the football provided them with some entertainment. The game is a great event and one of the unique experiences that working at KCOM can bring.

“We hope Julia and Syzmon enjoy Saturday’s game, which we can confirm will definitely take place at the MKM Stadium. And good luck to City in their push for the playoffs. Up the Tigers!”