Why we still believe

Cup football does something strange to perfectly ordinary people. You arrive thinking, “Let’s just see how we get on,” and ten minutes later you’re drawing a route to Wembley on the back of a pie wrapper, checking whether the dog can be left with a neighbour and wondering if you can buy a suitcase with the Rammy badge on.

It’s hope. It’s excitement. It’s also the complete inability to let one match happen at a time.

Today we face Chadderton, a team we know rather well. They got the better of us in last season’s play-off semi-final. We accepted this with enormous dignity. We simply replayed the match in our heads, in the car, in the shower and during conversations that had absolutely nothing to do with football.

Then, a few weeks ago, we went to Chadderton’s ground, which I thought was a really good set up, and this time Rammy came away with the win. We celebrated calmly, quietly and with great restraint. In other words, we behaved like people who had just won the World Cup and were trying not to spill their Mexican Baileys!

The kids provided the afternoon’s soundtrack with songs about Velcro shoes. At last, football has found a way to bring together sport, music and footwear fastening technology. The songs were catchy, the banter was lively, and several adults were left wondering whether their own shoes will become part of the matchday song sheet.

There’ll be a familiar face in Chadderton’s colours, too: our former captain Luke, a local lad we still love, and his dad, of course. We’ll be cheering Rammy on while hoping he has a brilliant game, ideally in a way that doesn’t involve scoring against us. Although a few own goals wouldn’t go amiss Luke… Wink, wink!! Our policy is simple: affection for the lad and his dad is unlimited; goals for Chadderton are strictly rationed.

And there’s a new name on the Rammy armband: Oscar Radcliffe, our new club captain. Congratulations, Oscar! The role comes with leadership, responsibility and the knowledge that someone in the crowd will shout “SHOOT!” whenever you get within 40 yards of the goal – even if you’re facing the wrong way and tying your bootlace. We’ll be right behind you, offering support, encouragement and the occasional tactical suggestion from people whose only coaching qualification is having watched a lot of football.

Being captain means helping lead the team on the pitch. Being part of a club also means looking out for one another off it. World Mental Health Day was marked on 10 October, but we shouldn’t need a date in the calendar to remind us to check in with people.

Mind says around one in four people in England will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year. That’s a lot of people – and it means someone you know may be having a harder time than they let on. You don’t need a perfect speech or a coaching badge in feelings. Sometimes a simple “How are you, really?” and the time to listen can matter. You don’t have to fix everything; you can just let someone know they don’t have to face it alone.

Football gives us a good excuse to get together: a match, a chat, a laugh, a song about footwear that should probably remain exclusive to the children. Those ordinary moments of connection matter. So, if you haven’t checked in with someone for a while, send the message, make the call, or ask if they fancy a brew. You can even talk about the football.

Today we’ll bring the nerves, the noise, the hope and possibly a full footwear-themed musical. We’ll cheer Rammy, welcome Oscar again into his new role and give familiar local lad Luke a warm smile (and a bit of stick!) from the opposite side of the pitch.

And that’s why we still believe: Not because every result goes our way, or because we’ve discovered the secret to remaining calm during stoppage time. There’s always another match, another story and another afternoon with the people who make this club special. Another chance to sing, laugh, lose our voices and discover that the Velcro-shoe song has been stuck in our heads all week. And, of course, another opportunity to check our footwear before anyone starts a new chant. Come on you Rams!

❤ Remember, football’s better together. Life is too. Take care, Em x.