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Picture being invited to take a seat beside Sir Alex Ferguson in the Manchester United dugout in the middle of a crucial European match. How would you react?

For photographer the lenswoman, this wasn't a hypothetical on a storm-lashed night in Moscow in 1992. Soaked from the horizontal rain, she was faced with an unlikely choice: an ideal yet wet shooting position or a dry seat flanked by Ferguson and his right-hand man Brian Kidd.

As the first female photographer to gain top-division accreditation, unusual situations were all in a day's work. She chose the dugout.

'Come and Sit Between Kiddo and Me'

After a goalless first leg in Manchester, the second match in Russia was just as chaotic as the conditions. Haroun describes never seeing rain like it. Her equipment was soaking, and her cameras were likely to fail of breaking down.

Noticed by Ferguson in the second half, he asked, "Are you a bit wet?" before instructing her to "Come between Kiddo and myself." She passed the rest of the match there, though she would have preferred behind the goal for better shots.

After a second 0-0 draw, United lost on penalties. Centre-back Gary Pallister, who missed the decisive kick, was seen crying into his shirt. Facing the dugout, he presented Haroun with a perfect front-page image.

Preparing her flash, she thought Ferguson would be annoyed. As expected, the manager glared at her and declared, "If you take that picture, I'll never speak to you again!"

'I Was Picked On Because I'm a Woman'

Despite her deep family connections to Manchester United—including family members having served as chairmen—Haroun's journey as a woman in a overwhelmingly male field was far from easy.

She struggled to be taken seriously and felt she was frequently "picked on" by security and police as the "easiest target." This came to a head with an incident at a volatile Leeds vs. Manchester United match, where fan trouble broke out.

"It was me that got arrested because I'm the weakest link, I'm a woman," she said.

Try to Run the Wright Way

Proximity to the pitch came with very real risks. Haroun was on one occasion "knocked out" by rocks thrown by supporters at an Aston Villa match in Turkey.

The hazard also came from the players themselves. Strikes from legends like Wayne Rooney and Denis Irwin at times sent her sprawling. On one such occasion, Bryan Robson reportedly joked, "Pick a different target, Denis, make sure it's not the chairman's cousin!"

However, players could also be helpful. Prior to an Arsenal match, she told iconic striker Ian Wright to celebrate her if he scored. He scored, but initially ran the opposite way.

To her relief, Wright realised, stopped, turned back, and charged towards her with a triumphant yell, creating the "ideal picture" she had envisioned.

A Feline Named Carrington

Away from football, Haroun is a known cat lover. Her collection of multiple cats on one occasion grew thanks to an unexpected call from the receptionist at Manchester United's Carrington training ground.

Told of an abandoned cat, Haroun was hesitant—she already had 23 at the time. But, a familiar Scottish voice took the phone and ordered her: "You have to take it!"

Heeding Sir Alex Ferguson's directive, she adopted the cat and named her Carrington.