This season has been widely dubbed "the year of the underdog," following a series of shock domestic cup triumphs which have given sleeping giants and fringe clubs rare moments of glory at their national stadia.
In February, Newcastle United kickstarted this trend by beating table-topping Liverpool to win their first major trophy for seventy years. More recently, Crystal Palace beat Manchester City to win the FA Cup, their first ever major honour, before Aberdeen pulled off what was perhaps the greatest shock of them all by beating Celtic on penalties to win their first Scottish Cup for 35 years and deny the hoops a domestic treble, having not been given even half a chance by the viewing public beforehand.
Similar triumphs were also seen on the continent with Bologna winning the Coppa Italia to win their first trophy for 51 years and Stuttgart securing an unlikely German Cup title.
Age, sport & the Christian hope of a new body
This year’s Masters snooker tournament at Alexandra Palace provided plenty of intrigue, as well as an interesting point for reflection …