ON THE ROAD: Forget Spurs… we’ve just won the Derby! Marine earn local bragging rights

It is Derby day on Merseyside and this is a throwback to how things used to be, as supporters wearing the colours of opposing teams share a festive drink.

Never mind what Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti’s men are doing, the fixture that mattered in these parts on Boxing Day was City of Liverpool‘s tussle with Marine in the Northern Premier League, North West Division.

Tickets for the game sold out four days prior — Marine’s allocation of 60 went within eight minutes of being advertised. Pride and three points are at stake but, really, it is impossible to stop thoughts turning elsewhere.

As Marine faced rivals City of Liverpool Boxing Day, it was hard to not have thoughts elsewhere

Marine welcome Jose Mourinho’s Spurs on Jan 10 in FA Cup in biggest game in club’s history

‘When Marine go up to lift the FA Cup we’ll be there! WE’LL BE THERE!’ booms a man, wrapped in a black and yellow scarf, standing on a small terrace called the Dodge Kop before kick-off.

The clock is ticking down towards the biggest day in Marine’s 126-year history — the visit of Tottenham Hotspur on January 10 — and events over the next two hours encapsulate everything that is good about football, from the commitment on the pitch to the camaraderie among the spectators.

Marine take the lead early in the first half, when Anthony Miley — who scored in the FA Cup first round win at Colchester — bundles in at the back post. But they are pegged back early in the second period when Jack Hinnigan fires in following a free-kick.

From here, the occasion develops. The home crowd, sensing the moment is right, begin to start winding up their neighbours, not least when there is a prolonged chorus of ‘Harry, Harry Kane!’ to show not everyone wants to see the ultimate giantkilling.

Everything is good-natured and the City of Liverpool fans, behind the goal Marine keeper Bayleigh Passant is protecting, are in party mood. Someone has brought a stereo and, for much of the second half, songs are pumped out.

Marine boast the best players in their local derby and managed to grab a 2-1 victory

The tempo of the game is quick and Marine boast the best players, notably Neil Kengni — a 20-year-old winger, with speed and good technique, who pops up to score the winner — right back Josh Solomon-Davies and the unflappable David Raven.

Tottenham will evoke wonderful memories for Raven. His debut for Liverpool, as a teenager in 2004, came at White Hart Lane in a League Cup match, which Rafa Benitez’s side won on penalties. He never put a foot wrong.

Fate works in incredible ways and none of this romance will be lost on Raven, who in 13 days will square up to Jose Mourinho and his stars in a similar environment.

This is as far removed from the Premier League as you could imagine — but that doesn’t mean things are not taken seriously.

To give you an idea of how clubs at this level operate, listen to how Marine manager Neil Young spent Christmas Day.

‘I work for Merseyrail and it was my turn to be on call,’ he says. ‘I had my Mum over for dinner — which I cooked! — then I locked myself in a room and watched City of Liverpool’s game against Buxton to prepare.

The non-league side will square up to Jose Mourinho and his stars in their biggest ever match

‘We trained on December 22 and made the team aware of their responsibilities over Christmas. But they are good lads and they look after themselves.’

They certainly earned their post-match meal, a variety of dishes brought back from a chip shop, and they will train tomorrow before another important league fixture against Prescot Cables on New Year’s Day. From Friday, though, the countdown to Tottenham truly begins.

That will involve three rounds of coronavirus testing, staying in their own bubble and three training sessions before a fixture that will be played in front of 500 fans and beamed to millions around the world. This, Young knows, is a time to seize the moment.

‘We don’t talk about it if we can help it,’ says Young, with a telling smile. ‘I’ve been able to block it out of my mind quite easily, but at the same time there is no getting away from it. This is the biggest game in the club’s history. It’s fairytale stuff, isn’t it?

‘Technically we have won the Cup for where we have got to. A lot of people have written the FA Cup off down the years but the competition, more than ever, is all about what happens in the third round.’