There was definitely a sense of excitement when paths crossed again in the late 00s but it felt as if I was on the outside looking into another era’s rivalry really, those that could remember the 80s and 90s.

Those three seasons in the late 00s/early 10s are the only sustained fixtures between us that I can actually remember and base my feelings on. I can’t recall vividly enough about the fag end of the 90s fixtures and I took a “sabbatical” with the kit change/prem season.

This season was the first game between both I’ve watched for nearly a decade, which is another long stretch. All in all that adds up to too long of a period of time for me to develop any deep seated feelings about the rivalry.