It's 90 minutes to kick-off. You've made the toast, sliced the banana, set the yoghurt out — and your child is barely picking at any of it. Now you're wondering whether they'll run out of energy at half-time.

Your child missed three weeks in July — a wedding away, then the flu. Now Jamie's name is called as a starter again, and the maths in your head doesn't quite add up. The honest answer is more interesting than either "it's fair" or "it isn't."