Michael Duff will be doing just that on Saturday afternoon.

The Barnsley head coach’s return to Cheltenham Town, the club where his days as a professional footballer began and where his senior managerial career started is no ordinary one.

It is the town where he and his family still reside, as does his assistant and ex-Robins favourite Martin Devaney.

Plenty of those in the main stand at Whaddon Road will know Duff well.

The affiliations will be with the red and white of Cheltenham, but many will have a soft spot for the red and white of Barnsley as well.

The day will give Duff - a Cheltenham legend - a chance to say goodbye to everyone connected with a club he will always hold dear after not saying a proper farewell in the summer when he left for Barnsley.

But from 3pm to 5pm, he will flick a switch. For those who know him well, it will come as no surprise.

He said: "I will be laughing and joking beforehand, but it's quite an easy switch to flick once the whistle blows. I have no interest in anything else other than winning. It will be the same for our supporters.

"It will be nice to go back and thank the supporters as with the last home game of last year, you don't think you are leaving.

"It is an opportunity for me to say thank you to them for giving me the opportunity and the support I had in the four years I was there. It's still Martin's home and his family still live there and it's still my home. We could have probably sold out half of the home stand with the tickets we have taken!

"It's one of those family clubs with lots of similar faces from 25 years ago, they have been a football league club for nearly 25 years since 1999.

"The old board still go to games and the new board are all familiar faces. It's the first time I’ve been back to an old club."

Speak to Duff and he does not strike you as overly sentimental. He is straightforward – from military stock no less - and someone who can put emotions to one side.

While he is not disingenuous enough to say that this is a routine occasion for him, equally he knows that to his players, it is just league game number 30.

Duff continued: "The players aren't interested in what me and Davvers used to do and we won't be making a big point of it either.

"It's not about me and Martin or me and Cheltenham, it's about Barnsley beating Cheltenham. That's what we are going down there for and what our job is.

"There's side stories which are great. But it won't be a case of winning it for me or pride. Win it for yourself, we need three points.

"Before and after the game, there will be lots of handshakes and smiley faces and hugs I am sure. Win, loss or draw. But the players will approach it like any other game."

Duff knows plenty about Cheltenham's staff and players. It's a two-way street and equally, they will know a fair bit about him.

His own place in Robins' folklore is assured. Right at the top of the list is the fact that he was the first manager to complete a season in the third tier without relegation ever being a serious threat for Cheltenham.

That side of 2021-22 has not changed much following his departure. As a club, Cheltenham may not have much money, but their squad is rich in many other areas.

Despite having one of the lowest budgets in the division, Cheltenham are well placed to secure another season of League One football, which is success in itself.

They will achieve that by displaying a strong team ethic, organisation, resolve and sense of humility - qualities that Duff is constantly bagning the drum about in his present job at Barnsley.

Duff added: “It's about reminding our lads what is coming - and they will be ready for you.

"If you show any ounce of arrogance or any sense of 'we will be alright', we will get beaten. What we can control is attitude and mentality.

"We need to go with the right mindset and there's not been many times this year where you can say: 'we are not quite at it.'

Come Saturday evening, Duff will 'park' the football for some quality time back home.

Instead of getting back to his family at 9.30pm after a long motorway drive, it will be somewhat earlier for once.

Duff said: "We have a few people coming back to our house on Saturday. I try not to let football dictate my whole weekend.

"It takes a lot of my life and something I have learnt a little bit more now is that when you get home, you have a shower and take your track suit off and become a dad and park the football up.

"It is not always as easy as that, but hopefully I won't have to worry about it."

Barnsley FC head coach Michael Duff opens up ahead of his first return to Cheltenham Town