Loyal supporters

Being a Bristol Rovers fan is a conversation stopper.
I know from experience.
In most of the environments I work in the banter surrounds the Premier League. The West Ham fans wind up the Tottenham massive, the Chelsea fans just gloat, the Arsenal fans rise above it all because they believe Lord Wenger's "pure" football cannot be faulted...
I join in sometimes, and anyone new to the conversation, a Spurs follower or a strident Gooner, will eventually ask "Who do you support?"
"Bristol Rovers."
It normally brings a look of bafflement followed by the questioner turning to his mate and asking, "anyway, who do you think will win the London derby this weekend?"
Dismissed in an instant. A conversation stopper, you see.
I think those people just cannot get it into their heads how ANYONE can support a mid-table League One side who have NEVER been in the top flight and have just dabbled with success on rare occasions in the lower divisions.
But some fans have it even worse. Supporting a team from Bristol is nothing compared to the bemusement you must encounter when you say, "Yeah, I support Carlisle United."
Carlisle? Where is that?
Isn't it in Scotland?
You can just imagine how the glory-hunting, Premier League fan would react to that.
I mean... who IS your closest rival if you follow Carlisle?
Celtic? Rejkavic? North Pole United?
It is, quite honestly, in the back of beyond.
Which is why I have to give a grudging admiration for their supporters and particularly those who travel vast distances to see their team every week.
Like Nuclear Neil.
The nickname comes from the fact he works in the local power station.
And every year he travels all over Britain to see them perform at our pretty mundane level of the football league.
I know he drove down to see the game at the Mem on Saturday.
He did last year as well, and couldn't have been too joyous on the long haul home after we overturned a 2-1 deficit to steal the game in the last seconds.
This time, too, it looked like they would be leaving empty handed.
The Gas were leading 1-0 through a goal from the much maligned Chris Lines and were three minutes away from a win which would have lifted us into the lofty position of fourth in the division.
Then, disaster struck. Their on-loan signing from Leeds Mike Grella equalised.
And even worse, the Gas gave away a penalty three minutes into injury time.
Gary Madine stepped up to take it but our Danish superhero goalkeeper Mikkel Andersen flung himself to his left to push the ball away.
Pride of Bristol 1, Capital of the Back of Beyond 1.
Phew! Relief for the Gas, but let's spare a thought for Nuclear Neil and his crew.
A long journey home to think about what might have been.
We all like to think of ourselves as loyal supporters, in fact the words of OUR song Goodnight Irene begin "We're loyal supporters, faithful and true.."
But Carlisle fans are beyond that.
The most loyal supporters in the land? Or, quite simply, nutters?