Football is coming back and we’re all excited about that – to a point.
Let’s get one thing straight, it won’t be the same.
No matter how much we talk about piping in crowd noise, big screen messages or paying £20 to have a cardboard cut-out of ourselves sat in the A-Block, and yes, Derby fans – we hear your rather odd sniggering loud and clear.
Football without fans is nothing – that’s a saying we’ve heard for a long, long time.
No doubt there will be some which questioned that message, but if you’ve watched any Bundesliga games or indeed the Coppa Italia semi-final on Friday night, you’ll now appreciate what a difference supporters in a stadium makes not just to the atmosphere, but the contest itself.
So, with Nottingham Forest about to return to action at Sheffield Wednesday next weekend in front of an empty Hillsborough instead of the 30,000-plus crowd there would have been in March, we’ve been thinking of some things fans will miss most.
1: Waking up knowing you're off to the match!
That moment when you rise on a Saturday (or Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday) morning, knowing the weekend has arrived and you’re off to a game is always an exciting one.
It’s a feeling which fans haven’t felt for months and at least it’ll be back to a point, although that feeling will be tinged with frustration and sadness that it’ll be a case of following it online or on the radio instead of being there.
2: Pre-match pint
God only knows when that great British pastime will return, so thoughts of a pre-match beer or shandy in one of the many fine watering holes in and around Trentside with our pals must remain, for now, a pipe dream.
3: The walk over Trent Bridge
There’s no better walk in sport, is there?
When you first walk onto Trent Bridge and the City Ground first comes into view with fans streaming over it towards it, the smell of hot dogs and the like wafting through your nostrils.
When dusk has fallen and those two famous old floodlight pylons are shining bright, it’s just magical.
Ahh, we’ll miss those two when they get pulled down for the redevelopment.
4: Seeing those old faces and taking your seat
For many fans, their seat will have been the same for years. Sitting in and around family and friends is a rite of passage, for others just sitting anywhere inside the City Ground will be special.
Chatting about the team news, those poor refereeing decisions and sharing the local scores will all be things many will miss out on, as will sitting down with the matchday programme and having a cursory read when you arrive 90 minutes before kick-off.
5: Belting out Mull of Kintyre
When the first strains of the Forest anthem ring out, kick-off is just moments away and we’re all set to go.
First used in the final day victory over Yeovil all those years ago, the crowd singing in unison with the flags waving is a sight we’ll all be missing for the next few months, at least.
6: The Trent End roar when the net bulges
For proof of this one, see Lewis Grabban’s winner over Derby earlier in the season.
It’s quite a picture when the Trent End jump in unison to celebrate a Forest goal using its obvious sway to suck the ball towards the net.
7: The half-time trek for a pie (or large bag of crisps)
Quintessentially English.
Arguably one of football's biggest debates. Which brand makes the best pie in the game? Forest have Pukka and connoisseurs would lay claim to theirs being the best.
Either way, charging off for a half-time meat and potato is nothing but a joy. The queues. Are not.
8: The celebrations
Jumping around like the craziest of crazy cats when the ball goes in the net, hugging people you've never met before, especially when it goes in late to secure three points at the home of your nearest and dearest.
Yes, Ben Osborn, I'm looking at you and wondering how my legs are still attached but ever-thankful for that moment.
9: Brice Samba’s knowing winks…
Quite the character, is Samba, and fans have been quite taken with his humour since arriving last summer.
Rubbing up the away supporters before giving a knowing wink to the home supporters in the lower Bridgford end was always a highlight.
10: The away fans…
Banter seems to be buzz word these days, though I much prefer verbal jousting.
When you get a vocal set of away supporters crammed into the lower Bridgford, you know there’s almost certainly going to be a good atmosphere as you exchange pleasantries.
11: Dissecting the result and performance on the way home
Come win, lose or draw, the debate will still rage. Whether or not we like what we’ve seen, we’ll miss that heavy conversation about what we’ve just watched.
12: Knowing there’s always next week…
In Forest’s case, it’s not been so much next week as next year, the year after or the year after that!
Will this one be different?
13: Checking to see what the Derby score was walking out the ground…
Admit it, we all do it. Some of us throughout a game let alone at full-time. And let’s not pretend a Rams defeat doesn’t make a Forest one slightly more bearable…
14: Bench cam
A revelation this term, and one which the Forest media team never quite expected to be as popular as it was, seeing Michael Dawson leap skywards to celebrate a goal never gets old.
While it won’t be quite the same in an empty stadium, hopefully fans will still get a version of it in the coming weeks.
What will you miss? Tell us your matchday traditions which will have to be shelved for the time being on Twitter @NFFC_Live or on Facebook right here.
