Purely by accident I have found that I have personally received a lot of criticism for this column over the years.

Unlike Tony Mowbray I cannot hold back the deluge by picking up a defiant win.

By no means am I asking for your sympathy nor your lenience. I always, 100 per cent, stand by what I say and that will not be diluted by other people’s views.

I’m here to be shot at and whether you are a Shearer-esque sharp-shooter, or a Stokesian blank-firer, you are entitled to do so.

Things have been worrying of late and it was not a surprise that the late Sheffield Wednesday goal was met more by resigned silence and head-shakes than anything stronger.

Many were not happy with the 0-0 despite some good goalkeeping. In truth both sides needed a win and that meant the second half opened up somewhat after a dour first period.

What was curious was how we all see things differently, in our anguish.

A man sat close to me never stopped digging Lewis Travis out. He kept up a constant commentary, huffing “crowd favourite”, “blue-eyed boy” and “negative.”

When Corry Evans was stripped off in the 82nd minute the lad perked up.

Even when Sheffield Wednesday immediately scored he seemed quite zen. Then Mowbray told Evans to sit down and put John Buckley on instead. He went apoplectic. “Lightweight”, “schoolboy”, “Mowbray’s love child.”

To be honest, at the time I was as much overjoyed that every single person in the vicinity turned to him and basically celebrated in a jig around him as he stood clapping with a constipated smile, as I was Buckley’s actual winning goal.

His views ended up backfiring, yet he still saw the irony. Good on him.

It wasn’t a five-star performance, but that’s why we go, even when the weather is awful, isn’t it?

That’s why we don’t all walk out on 85 minutes. The unexpected, the drama. Usually it all ends badly but hope springs eternal.

We start with a 0-0 scoreline on Saturday. Who wouldn’t take that at 5pm?