I CAN’T be absolutely certain but it’s difficult to picture Sepp Blatter ever rocking up at Barnet.

Fifa’s supposed love for the “football family” is unlikely to extend to random League Two appearances, even in the London commuter belt.

But I’ll vouch for one of his potential replacements turning up there. David Gill was sat directly behind me that day, a couple of seats down from John Motson (minus the sheepskin, it was early autumn).

Gill was Man United’s chief executive at the time but was checking up on the progress of his son.

Oliver Gill was at the heart of the Bradford City defence at Barnet, a game that was rumoured to have spelt the end for Peter Taylor with defeat.

Instead, the Bantams won 2-0 – and even Leon Osborne scored a goal – and the young centre half did his bit in a much-needed clean sheet.

Gill, on loan from Old Trafford, played five times in his month with City. They proved to be his only senior games as a pro footballer.

By the end of that season, he had decided to place academia above United and quit the game for Durham University, where he studied economics.

Dad moved on from the club to become a Fifa vice-president and recently refused to take up a position on the executive board while Blatter was still in situ.

But he is being pushed to go for the top job by none other than Sir Alex Ferguson, who has called Gill the “best football administrator in Britain”. Why should we doubt him?

Let’s face it, anyone who gives up a free Saturday to watch a game at Barnet must have their priorities in the right place.