There was a particular quip doing the rounds this time last year in one of England's largest cities, with the UK again in the midst of a full lockdown.
In Sheffield, the gallows humour at the time was that "the pubs are shut and the football's crap".
In February 2021, Sheffield United were on their way to a chastening relegation from the Premier League. They were a team that had got into a habit of losing and were a shadow of the side that posted a ninth-placed finish in the top flight the year before.
