The Key
At 0900 hours on the morning of Wednesday 19th June, all will begin to come clear. Or a little earlier perhaps if as sometimes happens the odd detail or two is leaked.
Bookings can be made. Arrangements confirmed. Bold planning can begin in earnest.
And why the signficance of this mid-summer morning?
Because the new season's fixtures are released silly! That's why!
For many a fitba fan fixture release day is one of the most important days on the calender. In the immediate moments fixture lists are quickly scanned to pick out key events - opening day, derby games, the possibility of a fast start "Thistle, Killie, Hearts and St Johnstone? Easy! Tap of the League by the end of August!" and the difficulty of the run-in.
Perhaps for Thistle fans or for some in Division Two their first glances will be to check the dates of a visit to or from the Old Firm.
Then a bit more in depth more checking will commence. Who do we have at Christmas and New Year? What midweek games have we been given? Are they away and if so where. All across the country eavesdroppers will hear conversations such as "Dingwall away in midweek, you're kidding me right? Wishae Branch run a bus to that one you think? Hawf day needed there for us buddy....."
Celtic ofcourse by about half-past nine will already be extensively quoted in the mainmedia slating the SPL for their scheduling and a lack of support in their attempts to further Scottish football, fresh from their latest glamorous and highly lucrative foreign friendly....
The Secret
But somewhere further down the line, likely to be as long as possible after the all important fitba matters have been digested there will be no escaping the lingering grey cloud that hovvers above eager to spoil your fun - real life.
Those plans that you've been dragging your feet on for days, weeks or even months. They all know you've been stalling them, they just don't know that it's all down to you secretly waiting on the fixture list!
That trip to see your folks in North East Scotland for example. The old dear hasn't seen you in months and hasn't been slow in reminding you about it. But you don't have Aberdeen away until the end of November. Dilemma. So you immediately log on to the SFA website to check for away Scotland fixtures that might just dig you out that hole.
There's the pal at work. Sound bloke but he doesn't get the beautiful game and he's pressing you for a response to his "Full Day" invite to his wedding - on the day of the first derby game of the season. Inconsiderate or what!! "You can't not go" says the bird head spinning at the prospect of a shiny new dress, shiny new shoes and shiny new handbag, but you are already thinking about train and bus times from the ground to the hotel for his reception.
Or the missus, whose cursor you've caught hovvering over the "Book Now" button for the shopping trip to London at Christmas for you both that your promised, just so you could have a swally in Inverness on the last day of the season. Does she not realise that's Scottish Cup fourth round day?!?!
But now in possession of the full fixture list some compromises and trade offs can be made, and you can still come out of it ahead. "No no darling, ofcourse we'll do Christmas at your mothers this year. I'll just have to miss the game that day so we can travel down", said with just enough of a puppy dog eyed look to gain her sympathy and earn some future brownie points safe in the knowledge you didn't have a cat's chance in hell of getting to Dingwall on Christmas Eve anyway....
Roll on the 19th!