Being the lucky winner of a free ticket, off I toodled to the ILS that day, full of hope, especially as the journey from out west had only taken me half an hour due to the magnificent high-speed transport system.
Drinks early, not on the boat because of the tragedy but predictions were awash with a two goal home win, even without Fabianski. And after taking the lead in an awful game I was just waiting for the brilliance to kick in.
Sadly I was mistaken thanks to Declan Rice possessing a cabbage for a brain for a split-second, our Chilean master deciding a point was fine in an old-farts understanding with owl-face, then finally a VAR decision against us that seemed to take longer than my journey there.
So no top 4. At least not that day. And the stand-up comic we have in goal wasn't even to blame.
To lighten the mood I was chatting to one of our long-time posters on the good ship Redhammer afterwards and joked 'would you take 17th now ?'
The things we say in jest.