THE secret of telling a good joke is, as any stand-up comedian will tell you, in the timing.
It is also, it would seem, the reason why Scott McTominay has produced a spectacular run of goalscoring form which has left Napoli’s supporters unable to wipe broad grins off of their faces.
Form which the Scotland internationalist's hapless opponents have not found to be amusing in the slightest and which may end up giving his Italian club the last laugh in what has been a remarkable season.
Tartan Army footsoldiers have known for some that the former Manchester United midfielder is a clinical finisher in the final third of the park when the pressure is on - none of them will ever forget the seven goals he scored against Cyprus, Spain and Georgia during the national team's successful Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
However, the 60-times capped 28-year-old has, even by his own high standards, been impressive up front of late.
A double in a comfortable 3-0 triumph over Empoli at home and a late winner in a tense 1-0 victory against Monza away ensured that Napoli moved level with Inter Milan at the top of the Serie A table earlier this month.
His first-half brace against Torino in the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Sunday proved to be the difference between the two sides at the end of the 90 minutes and ultimately sent the hosts three points clear at the top of the table with just four matches remaining.
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McTominay quickly justified the £25.7m transfer fee which it took to secure his services back in August and had soon endeared himself to fans who know - having watched, to name just a handful, Marek Hamsik, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ruud Krol, Maradona and Dino Zoff represent them over the years - a decent footballer when they see one.
His popularity, though, has simply skyrocketed in Naples the past few weeks as Gli Azzurri have caught and then leapfrogged I Nerazzurri.
The packed ground reverberated with repeated, heavily-accented chants of " Scott-Mac-Tom-In-Neeee! Scott-Mac-Tom-In-Neeee! Scott-Mac-Tom-In-Neeee!" on Sunday as the home supporters in the 51,144-strong sell-out crowd which was in attendance lost the plot.
There were as many Napoli fans decked out in replica McTominay tops as there were in Lukaku, Buongiorno or Politano shirts. In fact, there were many more. There were, too, numerous saltires and Scotland shirts in the stands. He is the man of the moment, the hero of the hour, the darling of the support.
Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary Old Trafford manager who took a such a keen interest in his compatriot McTominay when he was coming through the United youth ranks, often claimed that timing a run into the penalty box was the most difficult skill in football, was an art which could not be taught.
Well, McTominay has well and truly channelled his inner Norman Whiteside, something he has done on numerous occasions in a dark blue jersey, since moving to Italy eight months ago.
He ghosted in to the opposition penalty box, caught the Torino defenders completely unawares and made sure he was in the perfect position at the perfect moment not once but twice on Sunday night.
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“We saw that Inter had lost to Roma on Sunday afternoon and knew the importance of the match against Torino before it got underway, knew the three points were fundamental for us because they would bring us back to the top of the table,” said Politano. “I am happy with the performance and with the assist which I provided for the second goal.
“Giovanni [Di Lorenzo] and Frank [Anguissa] and I have been playing together for years now and we know each other’s games by heart, get along well, know the movements we will make. In the first half against Torino we pushed a lot on the right and managed to find the two goals which decided the match doing that.
“But Scott is a truly exceptional player. He has the most fantastic timing, has an amazing ability to come into the match just exactly when he is needed to do so. The results are there for everyone to see. He now has 11 goals in Serie A and 12 goals in total in all competitions.
“He has scored a lot this season. It is important when you have a striker like Romelu [Lukaku] who makes his presence felt for others to, like myself and the others wingers, to come and play more centrally and Scott has done that.”
“We have been more at the top than any other team this season,” he said. “It is not new that we manage the situation of being higher in the table. The games are becoming fewer and fewer, clearly any mistake that anyone makes will have consequences in a significant way.
“But let's enjoy it, let's enjoy this moment. Torino was perhaps the most beautiful victory because it comes with a focused team, a hungry attack and McTominay scores two more goals. The miracle could be close.”
The win over Torino ensured that Napoli will finish in the top four in Serie A this season and qualify for the league phase of the Champions League once again. That is an achievement which could prove decisive in keeping McTominay in Italy. “It is a very important milestone on an economic level for the club,” said Conte.
Scott McTominay’s second goal against Torino saw him hit a significant landmark – he overtook the number of Serie A goals which Scotland legend Denis Law plundered for Torino way back in the 1961/62 season.
He looks more than capable of giving Napoli fans more goals to cheer and further reasons to smile in the matches against Lecce, Genoa, Parma and Cagliari in the coming weeks on the evidence of another exceptional personal display.
