The best part starts before kick-off.

A matchday doesn’t really begin when the referee blows the whistle. It starts much earlier. When the scarf comes off its hook. When someone asks what time you’re leaving, despite knowing the answer. When the usual route suddenly feels full of possibility.

There’s comfort in doing it the same way. The same people. The same conversation about the team, going round in circles and somehow never getting old. The same optimism, even when you told yourself you’d be sensible this week.

None of these rituals changes the result. We know that. But they give the day its shape. They turn ninety minutes of football into something that belongs to a whole family, a friendship, a lifetime.

That’s the lovely thing about following a club. The big moments become everyone’s memories. The small ones stay yours.

So keep the scarf. Take the familiar route. Enjoy the bit before kick-off. Whatever happens next, that part of the day is already a win.