ON WEDNESDAY evening, I travelled to what might have been my last match of the year — depending on what happens with Covid restrictions, and whether Boxing Day fixtures end up going ahead as planned.

Despite the current circumstances, people seemed in good spirits, and there wasn’t an overwhelming absence of fans as I was expecting, which was positive to see.

This year has been an amazing one for sport, but a tough one for humanity. Like a good film or a book, sport can be an escape from the harsh realities that the majority of us have faced over the past couple of years.