I grew up on Match of the Day, when soccer coverage was sporadic not saturated. Saturday nights were special. To say the late John Motson was the voice of a generation would be a cliché and a stretch, but he was unique. His intonation at key moments was genuine – not in that over-the-top Martin Tyler way. He was a describer rather than a performer.

There are so many making a living behind the microphone nowadays that few stand out. Unless they’re awful. Cappoquin man Will Downing, who started off in hospital radio nearly 30 years ago and was with WLR and South East Radio in the nineties, now earns his crust as a sports commentator with Eleven Sports in Belgium. He was saddened to learn of the BBC legend’s passing, tweeting: ‘What sad news about John Motson. Anytime there would be an impersonation of a commentator on an ad, it’d always be him. I remember when getting interested in football listening to him on an FA Cup QF between Luton and Everton thinking “He’s good. That would be some job.” RIP Motty.’

The man who sported that infamous sheepskin coat and carried a mammoth book of stats might well be mumbling somewhere that it was the classic 1985 semi-final Will is thinking of. However, no doubt he’d appreciate the sentiment.