With 10 minutes remaining of the first half, it was just about possible to forget that Derby County is a club in crisis. They had just scored twice in three minutes against Stoke City, Wayne Rooney was beaming, the home supporters were bouncing and the sun was shining.
Yet when the pure joy that football can bring subsides, Derby’s players, staff, their other employees and their fans would have experienced the same cold, lonely feeling they felt on Friday night, when they heard the news.
Derby are heading for administration, which means much more than the 12-point deduction that makes them favourites for relegation.