Changing Room Diaries 49: Number One Fan

Two footballers in green and white kit have one job: meet the fan who's waited all season for this. Signed shirt, quick photo, everyone goes home happy. That's not how it goes. The door clicks shut behind him and the mood shifts. These lads didn't invite him in for a handshake. They've got a matchday ritual of their own, and tonight the fan is part of it. One glance at the kit bag is all it takes before he's down on the changing-room floor, doing exactly what he's told. First come the socks. Thick football socks, still damp from ninety minutes of graft, peeled off and pressed to his face while the lads talk over him like he isn't there. Then the bare feet: warm, used, planted right where he can't look away. Over 25 minutes of football sock sniffing, bare foot worship and total changing-room control from two lads who know exactly how much a number one fan will do to stay in the room. Green and white kit. Sweat-soaked socks. Two footballers who own the floor. One fan who never wanted the meet and greet to end.