12m ago 13.09 BST Krishnamoorthy v gets in touch and delivers this pithy Manchester United take. United host Aston Villa while Spurs are at home to Brighton. “If I were Amorim, I would instruct my team to lose the last match (and pray Spurs do not lose theirs). That way Man U will finish 17th. Any finish next season will be as good or better if Man U are not relegated. The corporate world calls this ‘strategic thinking’.” To be honest, I think United are perfectly capable of losing it without any instruction. Share Updated at 13.10 BST

16m ago 13.06 BST What next for Gary Lineker, with his BBC departure imminent? Lineker, by the way, was runner-up in the 1986 Ballon d’Or. I honestly think you’d have 100 guesses or more and still not get who won that year! A lunchtime read here from Media editor Michael Savage. Podcasts, ITV, Fox? Gary Lineker transfer speculation swirls after BBC exit Read more Share

22m ago 13.00 BST Liverpool boss Arne Slot was asked earlier if Mo Salah has a great chance of wining the Ballon d’Or. The Egyptian has 28 goals and 18 assists this season, both chart toppers in the Premier League. Slot: “He’s had very, very, very good seasons at Liverpool but this one probably stands out in terms of numbers. And if you add to that we also won the league, that would probably give him a fair chance. “But fortunately for all the football fans around the world, he’s not the only player that has had a great season. I think we were able to watch great football players this season again. But if there’s ever a chance for him, it would be this season. If not, then he’s going to try to push even harder next season. That’s what I already know with him.” Share

31m ago 12.50 BST Manchester City travel to Fulham for their closing game of the season. Here’s Pep on the the Craven Cottage clash: “We have to look at ourselves. We need one point to be in the Champions League next season and we have to go to win against a top side.” Guardiola reveals that everyone is fit except defender John Stones although Rodri, who has returned to the squad after a long injury absence, isn’t ready to start. Pep on the Spanish midfielder: “We’re really pleased he’s back, really pleased for the reaction for our people to him, I’m pretty sure he’s so pleased with that. There’s still a long way to be the Rodri he was.” Share Updated at 12.51 BST

38m ago 12.43 BST Pep Guardiola is now speaking to the press. I noticed yesterday that if the Premier League season had started at halfway, Manchester City would actually be top on goal difference. They’ve accumulated 37 points over the last 18 games, the same as Liverpool and Aston Villa and three more than Newcastle. Arsenal are fifth and Crystal Palace sixth in the second-half-of-the-season table. Then again, that doesn’t really take into account Arne Slot’s side taking their foot off the gas after the title was secured. Share Updated at 12.51 BST

54m ago 12.28 BST My work here is done. David Tindall is here to take you through the next bit. Share Updated at 12.28 BST

1h ago 12.22 BST Speaking of Ben Fisher, he will be at Wembley tomorrow to answer your questions about the Championship playoff final in the buildup to the big game: Sheffield United v Sunderland. If you have a burning desire to ask him something, please email Matchday.live@theguardian.com. You’ll also be able to post your questions in the comments on tomorrow’s blog. View image in fullscreen Wembley here we come. Photograph: Andrew Fosker/Shutterstock Share Updated at 12.29 BST

1h ago 12.22 BST Ben Fisher At Bournemouth’s uber-cool Canford Magna training base, a 57-acre site on a former golf course, Andoni Iraola is surrounded by bells and whistles. There is a hydrotherapy pool and an altitude chamber. “For me, those are like the extras,” says a manager used to getting his hands dirty from his days at AEK Larnaca in Cyprus and Mirandés in northern Spain. “I come from clubs where everybody has to do their job – and something else. I’ve needed to cut videos, make things, set up; we didn’t have goals with wheels so four of us would move them.” At Rayo Vallecano, even after promotion to La Liga, he explains how they happily made do with “training on one pitch and a third”. ‘Football is not complicated’: Andoni Iraola on Bournemouth, birdsong and playing better Read more View image in fullscreen Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth’s Canford Performance Centre. Photograph: Robin Jones/The Guardian Share Updated at 12.25 BST

1h ago 12.14 BST What are the road closures for Tottenham’s Europa League trophy parade today, I hear you cry. Haringey Council has published this handy guide: High Road (White Hart Lane to Lansdowne Road/Lordship Lane) 11am until midnight

Fore Street/High Road (A406 to White Hart Lane): 12pm until 8pm

Northumberland Park, Park Lane, Worcester Avenue and Lansdowne Road: 1pm until midnight

The Broadway (Edmonton Green to Plevna Road): 1.30pm until 8.30pm

Shelbourne Road (Lansdowne Road to Northumberland Park): 4.30pm until 9pm

Sterling Way and the A406 westbound slip-round: 4.30pm until 7.30pm View image in fullscreen Ange Postecoglou. Victorious! And bringing north London to a standstill. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA Share Updated at 12.15 BST

1h ago 12.11 BST The Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is not feeling extra pressure ahead of a decisive three days when his players will fight to seal their place in the Premier League’s top five, before facing Real Betis in the Uefa Conference League final. Five clubs will battle for three available Champions League slots on the final day of the English top flight, with fifth-placed Chelsea visiting seventh-placed Nottingham Forest, who are a point below them. Chelsea then fly to Poland for Wednesday’s Conference League final. “I felt pressure since I joined the club, because this is a club where you need to win games,” Maresca said. His team could be boosted by the return of forwards Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu from injury, with both available for selection. Maresca attempted to quash rumours about the possible departure of Enzo Fernández, saying “yes” when asked if the Argentinian midfielder would stay at Chelsea. “He is one of our captains … this season has been very good and he can be even better next season, starting from the first day,” Maresca said. Maresca said he would make changes before Wednesday’s Conference League final, as there was not enough time to recover after Sunday’s match. The manager was concerned that not enough attention was being paid to player welfare, highlighting a packed calendar that could continue until July with Chelsea playing in the Club World Cup starting next month. “If (some players) are going to be tired, they’re not going to play… I don’t think there is (much) attention about player welfare. Otherwise it’s not normal, the amount of games that they play,” he said. (Reuters) View image in fullscreen Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández in training. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA Share

1h ago 12.02 BST A dispatch from Australia from Jack Snape: Ange Postecoglou’s Europa League triumph has delivered a record audience for Stan, which has been on a spree of acquisitions to consolidate its status as a major rival to the Dazn-owned Kayo Sports amid heightened competition in Australian sports broadcasting. Stan’s live audience for Tottenham’s 1-0 win over Manchester United on Thursday was the highest for a Europa League match since the streaming service obtained the Uefa club competition rights in 2021. Ange Postecoglou’s triumph breaks streaming record as Australians tune in ‘in droves’ Read more Share

1h ago 11.58 BST “When was the last time there were no Manchester City or United players in the England squad?” asks Will on email. Share

1h ago 11.56 BST “My drive is to prepare for Sunday with the players,” says Ruud van Nistelrooy before his Leicester side visit Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday. “I want to continue developing with the players. Break some cycles. Bring some positives. Helping Jamie [Vardy] with his “closure”, leaving the club in the best possible way … and then it’s the last one for Sunday. We focus on that. “Of course,” he is disappointed that Leicester’s improvement has come too late, Van Nistelrooy adds. [Playing without Jamie Vardy] “… it won’t change a lot. Filling in with another striker won’t make a lot of difference. Patson Daka also makes the deep runs and is quick in transitions. It can continue. “We studied Bournemouth during the week … a very quick, strong, physical team. Kluivert and Evanilson have the dynamics between them … Dean Huijsen, a great development he made with a move to Madrid … a quality side.” What would his message be to Leicester supporters? “I wouldn’t say a lot to them, aside from thanking for them for their ongoing support … what we want to do is give them something to cheer about again … that is the most important thing that we have to do.” View image in fullscreen Ruud! Photograph: Paul Bonser/SPP/Shutterstock Share

2h ago 11.45 BST Fabian Hürzeler, the Brighton head coach, has a chat before Sunday’s showdown with Spurs, fresh (or hungover?) from Europa League glory: “The only thing we can influence is our result, our preparation. We try to focus on us,’ says the Seagulls gaffer. “They played the final, both teams felt a lot of pressure. In the end Tottenham won. They played very mature. They scored one goal. Congratulations to them. “We don’t know [if the parade will affect them]. I can’t influence how they celebrate. I can’t influence how they prepare … we will try to be the best team we can be. Will it be a party atmosphere at Tottenham? “We don’t know what we will face. We don’t know what the atmosphere will be. They are all factors we can’t influence. The only thing we can do is have a good training week. “Tottenham can beat every team in the league. They play high, intense football. That is what we have to expect.” Any team news? “It will be the same squad [as before]. Georginio [Rutter] is not available. We won’t risk anything. He will be back in pre-season. “João Pedro, we had a small issue in training. We dealt with it internally. The matter is closed. He is an incredible player. That is why we invested in him. “But there are principles, values that are non-negotiable. Everyone has to stick to them. There are no compromises. I am sure he will learn from this and come back stronger next season.” Interesting! Share Updated at 11.46 BST

2h ago 11.20 BST “Jordan [Henderson] is a natural leader,” Tuchel continues. “He sets standards, the others follow. Jordan is more than happy to accept the challenge. He wants no gifts. Considering the last camp, he had all the right to be picked again.” View image in fullscreen Jordan Henderson. A leader. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/Reuters Share Updated at 11.23 BST

2h ago 11.15 BST Why was Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton left out? “We made Adam train with us [in the last camp]. He was very, very good. At the moment there is a little injury problem, concussion protocol from the final. He is one of the names that could play a role. There is a major tournament for the Under-21s coming … I like it that they can be leaders in this group. We will monitor this very closely. They can take responsibility in the Under-21s.” Share

2h ago 11.14 BST “No doubt about his talent,” Tuchel says of Trent Alexander-Arnold. “Special, unique. I would say he is a right full-back. That is his position. The way he plays right full-back is unorthodox, he has a special vibe … he was very happy to come. We are excited to have this chance. He won another major trophy. He was hugely involved in this unbelievable campaign. We are very positive about it. I am happy that he’s back.” View image in fullscreen Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold. Photograph: Jon Super/AP Share Updated at 11.25 BST

2h ago 11.11 BST Tuchel on the expanded Club World Cup: “Massive tournament. Very long. A lot of travelling. That is the calendar now. I think the players will love the challenge, embrace the challenge. The Club World Cup in February was very different. Let’s see. It’s not worth complaining. It’s the schedule. We have to find the best solutions within the schedule. We will take care of the minutes of the players if we can.” Share Updated at 11.24 BST

2h ago 11.10 BST “Did I?” Tuchel says, when initially told he has caused surprise with his latest England squad. Firstly, Tuchel is asked about the striker Ivan Toney: “Ivan deserves to be with us. I am convinced. He’s scored over 20 goals for Al-Ahli … big involvement in the team, goals and assists, huge contribution. “I told you last time I would try and visit him. I didn’t make it. I thought, why not bring him over, let him travel to us? “It’s a good chance to test new players, to meet Ivan in person … we decided to nominate three strikers … I had a call with [Tottenham’s Dominic] Solanke who deserved to be with us – but he was in camp already, I have a clear idea of what Dom can bring. I want to get a feeling for new players in the group.” On the Club World Cup and the players’ packed schedule: “We want to develop a camaraderie. This is only possible if we keep the group together. We will try to manage the minutes of the players regarding who will play the first match, second match, and who will go to the Club World Cup.” On Arsenal’s Ben White: “He made very strong progress … I was delighted … but this is not the moment. He will become a father very soon. On the first date of the camp. If he comes back, he should come back with a clear mind, full focus on football.” Share Updated at 11.37 BST

2h ago 11.00 BST “As a Villa fan,” emails Richard Morris, “it’s lovely to see we have more players in the squad than the champions (and one of Liverpool two representatives won’t be there in five minutes). Villa to win the league next season then.” Share

3h ago 10.49 BST Paul MacInnes An amendment to the Government’s Football Governance Bill is to ask the new regulator to set up a system that will provide support to former players who go on to suffer from neurodegenerative conditions. In a list of amendments to the final stage of the football governance bill, a proposal by the MP for Caerphilly, Chris Evans reads: “The IFR must establish and supervise a scheme aimed at providing a high standard of care and support to any person who has developed a neurodegenerative condition linked to their career in English football.” The amendment proposes that “all specified competition organisers jointly operate, manage and fund the scheme”. The bill is now passing through the house. Share Updated at 11.07 BST

3h ago 10.47 BST “We follow him closely, like all the players on our list. It’s the same for Ivan,” Tuchel said of Toney, in an interview published on social media by ITV. “He played a lot, we watched him a lot, and he had massive contributions with decisive goals in important matches. He won a big title with his club, the Asian Champions League. “I didn’t have the opportunity to see him live in Saudi Arabia so we took the possibility to fly him in to our camp, and watch him live within the group, see his personality in the group, and see his quality. He will compete with Harry [Kane] of course, our No 9, and Ollie Watkins. So it will be interesting, we have three strikers in camp.” View image in fullscreen Ivan Toney. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA Share Updated at 10.51 BST

3h ago 10.23 BST Jacob Steinberg You’d have thought that Harry Maguire would be the kind of defender Tuchel would want in his squad. But the Manchester United defender is again left out. He probably can’t complain after United’s dreadful season. It’s just that he’s been such a big player for England in the past. Worth pointing out that Tuchel said that Maguire was left out of the March squad because of his form. It looks like a new England defence is taking shape. No John Stones either, although that’s because he’s not been fit for ages. View image in fullscreen Harry Maguire. Left out by Thomas Tuchel. Photograph: Bruce White/Colorsport/Shutterstock Share Updated at 10.27 BST

3h ago 10.18 BST Tuchel is due to speak at 11am. No doubt he will be asked about Adam Wharton’s omission from this squad among other things (as you can see below, Jacob reckons the Crystal Palace midfielder may be injured.) Share

3h ago 10.15 BST Sid Lowe Real Madrid have finally announced that Carlo Ancelotti will not continue at the Santiago Bernabéu after the Brazilian Football Confederation announced him (CBF) as their new coach. He will be replaced by Xabi Alonso. The former Bayer Leverkusen manager, who publicly revealed that he would not be continuing in Germany last Friday, will formally begin on 1 June in time for the Club World Cup, while Ancelotti joins Brazil on 26 June, the day after the end of the Spanish league season. Xabi Alonso poised for Real Madrid job after club confirm Carlo Ancelotti’s exit Read more Share

3h ago 10.10 BST Jacob Steinberg The latest omission of Jack Grealish isn’t a surprise. Grealish is a bit-part player at Manchester City these days and wasn’t used in last weekend’s FA Cup final defeat by Crystal Palace. The match winner in that game, Eberechi Eze, is included. The Palace duo of Marc Guéhi and Adam Wharton miss out, presumably due to injury (although it should be said Tuchel hasn’t seemed entirely convinced by Guéhi). Tuchel has not been able to name Marcus Rashford because of injury; West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen misses out after failing to take his opportunity last time. Newcastle’s Dan Burn gets another go. Share

3h ago 10.08 BST There are no players from Manchester United, Manchester City of Tottenham in Tuchel’s latest England squad, unless you count Kyle Walker of City, who is on loan at AC Milan. Share Updated at 10.12 BST

3h ago 10.06 BST Thomas Tuchel’s England squad Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Burnley) Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Trevoh Chalobah (Chelsea), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Kyle Walker (AC Milan, loan from Manchester City) Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa) Forwards: Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) Share

3h ago 10.00 BST Chalobah and Toney included in England squad Jacob Steinberg Trevoh Chalobah and Ivan Toney are the standout inclusions in Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad but there’s no place for Phil Foden after he said he needed some time away to recover from a draining period. Toney, who has been in impressive form in Saudi Arabia, has not been part of the set-up since Euro 2024. The former Brentford striker earns a spot in place of Tottenham’s Dominic Solanke. Chalobah, who was a Tuchel favourite at Chelsea, is brought in for the first time. The Chelsea centre-back has had a good season. Tuchel has followed through on his promise to include players who could feature at the Club World Cup (the likes of Cole Palmer, Kyle Walker, Noni Madueke, Harry Kane, Reece James and Conor Gallagher, who missed out on the March camp). Trent Alexander-Arnold, who could represent Real Madrid at the tournament, returns after injury. Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White is in too. England have a World Cup qualifier against Andorra and a home friendly against Senegal next month. Ivan Toney and Trevoh Chalobah called into England squad by Thomas Tuchel Read more View image in fullscreen Trevoh Chalobah (right) has been called up by England. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA Share Updated at 10.04 BST

3h ago 09.53 BST Andy Hunter Twenty years on from that double save, those spaghetti legs and the miracle of Liverpool’s fifth European Cup triumph and Turkey has not lost the capacity to make a champion out of Jerzy Dudek. “I won the Turkish Open golf last week and it reminded me a bit of Istanbul,” the former Liverpool goalkeeper says. “It is my favourite place, my lucky place, and it stays with me all the time. If I go on holiday to Turkey I always go with a big smile.” Sunday promises to have the same effect on everyone associated with Liverpool. The presentation of the Premier League trophy to Arne Slot’s champions at Anfield coincides with the 20th anniversary of the “Miracle of Istanbul”, when Liverpool overcame a 3-0 half-time deficit to defeat Milan on penalties in the Champions League final. Not that any Liverpool fan needs reminding of the details. The sights and sounds of Ataturk Stadium remain as vivid to Dudek now as they were on 25 May, 2005. Jerzy Dudek: ‘Carra said to do the spaghetti legs like Grobbelaar but I needed to study my book’ Read more View image in fullscreen Jerzy Dudek saves a penalty from Andriy Shevchenko in 2005. Photograph: Kerim Ökten/EPA Share

4h ago 09.49 BST Eddie Howe, of Newcastle, has a quick chat about facing Everton at home on Sunday and trying to secure a Champions League spot: “That’s what we would ask,” he says. “To be at home in front of our fans. It’s in our hands. You have to do the difficult part, and take that opportunity. “Everton have been in good form, they are difficult to beat, they have got threats. We have to be focused on what we need to do to win the game. Then we hope the crowd can carry us through. “We have to focus on ourselves. We have to do our bit and not expect any favours from anyone. What will be will be … for us, we know what we have to do.” View image in fullscreen Newcastle meet Everton on Sunday chasing a place in the Champions League. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA Then a question about players’ holiday plans: “The majority will go on their holidays pretty quick. The injured players – [such as] Lewis Hall and Joelinton – will continue to recover from injury throughout the summer. “At the moment, we’re looking to return to training on 7 July.” Back to prepare for the football season on 7 July? Utterly ludicrous, please make it stop. You’re probably going to tell me that’s late compared to other clubs. Share Updated at 09.55 BST

4h ago 09.32 BST An update from the Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca before Sunday’s crunch Premier League encounter at Nottingham Forest: “Reece James is OK [injury-wise]. We are trying to protect him and manage him in the training sessions.” Has Maresca known such a close race for the Champions League, involving so many teams, on the final day? “Probably it shows how difficult the Premier League is,” Maresca says. “The ones that have been consistent are Liverpool and that’s why they won the title … during the season the rest have been a bit up and down. “We are happy to be there [in contention for Champions League qualification] and will try to finish in the best way. “We are quite lucky – if we win, we do our job, we don’t need to pay attention to other results. We have the privilege that it depends on us.” View image in fullscreen Chelsea and Cole Palmer: in the hunt for the Champions League. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA Share Updated at 09.35 BST

4h ago 09.19 BST Suzanne Wrack Arsenal will step on to the pitch at the Estádio José Alvalade on Saturday to face the most almighty challenge in their first Champions League final since 2007. Against a Barcelona side who dominate the ball like no other, opportunities will be limited and for a forward, there are few greater tests, as every fleeting chance matters. Alessia Russo, tasked with leading the line in a stacked Arsenal attack, has the opportunity to make a statement as well as earn a place in history. Alessia Russo has hit another level – but will it be enough against Barça? Read more View image in fullscreen Arsenal’s Alessia Russo shoots at goal. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Observer Share Updated at 09.20 BST

John Ashdown, (second left), with his family in the Wembley car park before the playoff final in 1997 against Crystal Palace. A great day out but Sheffield United did not turn up.

Saturday’s game against Sunderland will be Sheffield United’s fifth playoff final. They have lost each of their previous four. I was at every one.

Technically this was United’s second experience of playoff misery having lost a relegation playoff against Bristol City in 1988, but by the mid-1990s the Football League post-season had developed into A Thing, thanks in large part to the decision to move the final to Wembley in 1990.

Having missed the 1993 FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield Wednesday – the true Year Zero of United’s Wembley misery – this was my first trip to the national stadium. Eight Ashdowns piled into a rented Ford Transit minibus and chugged down the M1, flags streaming from the windows and a makeshift “SUFC” scrawled in red electrical tape on the back.

Hope was also a passenger, and with good reason. United had won 1-0 at Selhurst Park in December and Jan Åge Fjørtoft had inspired a confident 3-0 thumping in the return fixture at Bramall Lane in early April, six weeks before the final. We arrived in the Wembley car park before the team bus and had time for face-painting (not for me because, you know, I was 16) and a quick kick-about under the twin towers before roaring the team out in a cascade of red and white balloons.

That was the high point. Memory suggests we barely had a shot. Highlights suggest Palace didn’t either. But in the dying seconds David Hopkin looked to curl one … and I still can’t listen to Glad All Over without wincing.

I remember very little about the ride home, other than it taking what felt like several months to get out of Wembley and someone – probably my dad – suggesting we’d comfortably “outballooned” the Palace fans, some elite-level straw-clutching that speaks to a lifetime of being a Blade.

So a great day out but United didn’t really turn up. That would become a theme.

2003, Wolves 3-0 Sheffield United, Millennium Stadium: the one that really hurt

Hope was in the air once more in 2003 at the end of a campaign that will for ever be known at Bramall Lane as the “Triple Assault” season. Strong Portsmouth and Leicester sides had romped away with the top-two places but Neil Warnock’s United had finished third, had been to the semi-finals of the FA Cup, denied by that David Seaman save at Old Trafford, and to the semi-finals of the Carling Cup, where they had beaten Liverpool at home and gone to extra time at Anfield. They were also coming into the playoff final on the back of one of the great Bramall Lane nights – the 4-3 semi-final win over Nottingham Forest.

The family made a weekend of it in south Wales. I travelled over from London for the day, the “no way am I getting my face painted” 16-year-old having matured into the “no way am I spending a weekend in Wales with my family” 22-year-old (they were both idiots).

While in 1997 the misery had been a last-gasp dagger to the heart, this time it got stuck straight in: 1-0 down after six minutes, 3-0 down by half-time. I remember seeing the players physically slump after the second goal; following a season of so many backs-to-the-wall escapes and unlikely comebacks, there was an air, on and off the pitch, of “We just can’t do this again.” And we didn’t. That said, there’s still part of me that wonders what might have been if Michael Brown had scored his penalty at the start of the second half.

2009, Burnley 1-0 Sheffield United, Wembley: the one I forget about

I’m pretty sure Hope had left the building at this point. Six years on from the Triple Assault, Warnock had finally taken United up but failed to keep them there, leading to the disastrous Bryan Robson interregnum, before the line was restored by the appointment of Kevin Blackwell, Warnock’s former assistant.

Looking back, it’s a wonder this United side made the playoffs, still less believable they went into the final day of the season with a chance of claiming an automatic spot. The plan of giving the ball to David Cotterill and hoping for the best had, to general surprise, largely worked, and a run-of-the-mill Preston had been dispatched with little drama and even less panache in the semi-finals. But by now a sense of doom was creeping in as Wembley approached.

My abiding memory of the final is the weird floating club crest curtains that hovered over the pitch before the game. They seem to have been around before finals between 2008 and 2013, and created a strange dreamlike quality to proceedings. The memory of them makes me feel slightly sick.

As for the match itself: Wade Elliott scored a screamer after 13 minutes and then nothing happened. So deeply forgettable was the game that no one in the family seems to remember who else was there, though I have a memory of me and my brother sitting there increasingly miserable as the inevitable played out. But in the grand scheme of things this a forgettable trauma, a sprained ankle amid the broken bones. Somehow the nadir was yet to come.

2012, Huddersfield 0-0 Sheffield United; Huddersfield win 8-7 on pens, Wembley: the one where Steve Simonsen took a penalty

While other finals had provided a sort of Technicolour torture, this was concrete grey. A patched-up, impossible-to-love United team, Wembley at its soulless worst, a match that lives in the memory as having been played under glowering skies regardless of the actual weather. I’m told – and I had clearly blocked this out – that most of the Ashdown clan had crammed into my tiny north London flat before the game, which will have injected absolutely no bonhomie into proceedings.

And, to no one’s great surprise, it was another futile afternoon – 90 minutes again Palace, 90 minutes against Wolves, 90 minutes against Burnley, and now 120 minutes against Huddersfield, and not only no goals but no sign of a goal, no hint of a goal, no suggestion of a goal.

After the dourest 0-0 you’re ever likely to see, Neill Collins, in converting United’s second spot-kick in the shootout, did at least become the first United player to put the ball in the net at Wembley since Alan Cork in 1993, 19 years and almost seven hours of football earlier. But still there was new pain to be found. Huddersfield missed their first three penalties yet somehow United conspired to lose 8-7, goalkeeper Steve Simonsen blasting the 22nd and final spot-kick into the stratosphere.

While Simonsen’s penalty blipped gently on Nasa’s radar on its journey into the far reaches of the solar system, disaffection stuck around, with United mired in League One and going nowhere. It would be four years, featuring playoff semi-final defeats by Yeovil and Swindon, before Chris Wilder finally shook the club to its senses.

Which brings us neatly on to Saturday. It’ll feel very different – it was only when digging through old photos for this piece that it sunk in that this will be the first playoff final without my dad, who died in 2022. And for a variety of reasons, few other Ashdowns can make it. So it will be a flying visit, just me and my brother zipping down the M1 and back, no frills, no flags but, for the first time in a while, that familiar old feeling in the pit of the stomach that this might just be our year.

Nathan Collins holds the extraordinary record of not having missed a single minute of any of Brentford’s 37 Premier League games this season. In fact, he is the only outfield player in the entire league to have played every second of this campaign.

He must, then, surely be champing at the bit to complete the set by playing the full 90 minutes of the Bees’ final game of the season, away to his former club Wolves on Sunday.

“No, not at all,” the recently-appointed Republic of Ireland captain replies, humoured by the suggestion he might be planning to knock Thomas Frank’s door down and demand he starts at Molineux.

“A few people have said about it, but I don’t put too much thought into it. The biggest thing is to be available. It [playing 90 minutes again] is not the most important thing.”

Collins is motivated by other targets instead, most immediately the goal of helping Brentford into Europe for the first time in their history.

The permutations are complex and, even once they have claimed the required three points against Wolves, out of their hands. The Bees would still need Brighton to lose away to likely still-hungover Tottenham, Chelsea to finish seventh in the Premier League by messing up their Nottingham Forest away trip, and Chelsea to win the Conference League next Wednesday.

Nathan Collins celebrates scoring against former club Wolves in the reverse fixture earlier in the season (Getty Images)

“I’m trying to stay optimistic; there still is a chance,” Collins says. “We have to do our business, win our game of football, and let the rest take its course. For Brentford to get into Europe would be massive. If we don’t do it this year, that’s the chat we’d want to have before next season. We’ve put ourselves in a good position this year, and that’s the main focus now come Sunday.”

Collins speaks to Standard Sport from the Brentford dressing room at their Jersey Road training ground the morning after the club’s end-of-season awards night. The 24-year-old arrived by Lime bike to the event in Richmond, no more than a two-minute cycle from his house. For the players’ player of the year award, his vote went to the eventual winner, Denmark midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard.

Last season saw Brentford stave off relegation but finish 16th, their lowest position since they have been in the top flight. This season, they are ninth with a game to go.

“It’s hard, it’s just football,” he says of last term. “Even this season, there’s two teams down there that you never would have expected to be down there — and that’s because the standard of the league has gone so hard,” Manchester United and Spurs mentioned but not named. “If you take your foot off the pedal, you’ll drop down.

“We had a lot of injuries that affected us, but this season not as many. I do believe it’s been a special season. What we’ve done on the pitch, it’s a season I’ll never forget.”

Life is good for Brentford’s ever-present, made captain of Ireland by manager Heimir Hallgrímsson during last year’s Nations League campaign.

We’ve put ourselves in a good position to qualify for Europe this year, and that’s the main focus now come Sunday

“To be fair, I captained a lot of teams through Ireland under-age,” he explains. “I was able to captain Stoke at a young age, too. Seamus [Coleman] was an unbelievable captain, who I learned so much from. He’s had a few knocks in recent camps and someone had to step up. The manager chose me, and I was honoured for that.

“We’ve got a lot of talent in our squad, young players with talent at international level. The goal is going to the World Cup or European Championships. The manager has come in and shown his way works.”

At his club, Collins endured a difficult first season for the Bees last term, having arrived as their then-club-record £23million signing from Wolves in July 2023.

“After last season, the manager and coaching staff wanted me to step up a bit more, wanted me to be more of a leader. I think I have — I’ve become more of a leader, spoken up more, served the team more, blocked out the noise.

“To keep growing every year is so hard. I don’t think any aspects of football we’ve gotten better at. I just think a lot of players, including myself, have played to a higher standard this year. Individuals have just stepped up.”

Team effort: Brentford (Getty Images)

Brentford face a challenge this summer in keeping hold of key assets, such as head coach Frank and striking duo Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo.

“His record speaks for itself,” Collins says of his manager. “I don’t understand why clubs wouldn’t be interested in hiring him, but I just really enjoy working with him. Will he go or not? I don’t know, but I’m just trying to capture the time I have with him now.

“When you become a football player, you kind of understand that’s how football works. People come and go. Players move on. You can’t score 20 goals in the Premier League and not have interest. Yoane and Bryan deserve every reward they get.” The uncertainty is “not at all” unsettling, he insists, because “quality players are waiting to take their jersey”.

“The journey Brentford has been on, to be able to compete in and around the top 10 and compete for Europe is a massive achievement,” Collins reflects. “We have dreams and aspirations to get into Europe, but if we don’t, to have won so many games is unbelievable.”