And despite the euphoria of reaching Wembley, there is no guarantee that we will build upon it. Anyone examining the club’s recent history will see that. Of course, it would be fantastic if this FA Cup run was the building block for a rocket-like ascent to the Premiership. Even if the City fan inside me dangles Derby County’s miserable Premiership season as a grim reminder of what happens to a club which gets ideas above its station.
Sometimes, I must admit I wonder if many City followers even want the club to get bigger. They are the blokes who complain on the online message boards about the fairweather fans who turn up only for the more attractive games, and ask where they were when City were playing Mansfield on grim Tuesday nights in November in Division Four. Well, I must qualify as a semi-fairweather fan myself, because, just like thousands of other sensible folk, I often found something better to do in those days. Such as, quite possibly, having a glass of something red while watching the telly.
