US drivers are nothing if not superstitious!

From our favourite spots at our favourite ranks, rituals before or after shifts, returning to the very queue where we got a cracking fare at the same time last week – we’re willing to give anything a try in the hope it might bring repeated success.

Which is why this week’s column will unapologetically wish the Scotland National Team the best of luck for the big match in Serbia tomorrow – just like we did before the game with Israel last month.

That Israel tie, a play-off semi-final, was held at Hampden and sparked memories of all the famous nights we’ve enjoyed in Mount Florida, us drivers taking hopeful fans to the games and jubilant supporters back into town after.

While there were no fans at Hampden last month there were, thankfully, plenty of celebrations as we edged our way to this huge contest thanks to a flawless penalty shoot-out performance.

Now we swap the Battlefield of the south side for the battlefield of Belgrade, as Steve Clarke takes the team to the final 90 minutes standing between them and the Euro Finals.

What a lift a win would give the country.

We all know it’s not the same without fans and neither is it the same for us taxi drivers, who always get a taste of the Tartan Army’s travels even when they are heading thousands of miles away.

That might be taking the proud parent/s and son/daughter from their home to the airport the day before the game, already giddy with excitement and dressed up to the nines.

That might be a young team from up north arriving at Queen Street and grabbing a taxi to Central, blissfully unaware of how short the journey is, before heading south on another train to catch an onward (cheaper) flight from Manchester.

That might be the businessman making a late dash on his own on the day of a game, grabbing the last flight possible during which he will transform from suit and tie man to kilt and scarf fan.

Or, often most memorably, it might be the late night or middle of the morning post-match collections from the airport, train station or elsewhere after a long, long journey home, by which point a fan can look as knackered as the players do when they trudge off after a tough 90 minutes.

We miss those experiences just like fans miss the games themselves. The sooner they are back the better for everyone.

Meantime, here’s to Scotland giving us all something to shout about tomorrow night.

Stay safe!