The fans and their families visited Cobham on Thursday to watch Thomas Tuchel put his players through their paces in the first training session since our brilliant Champions League victory over Juventus, as preparations began for Sunday’s home game against Manchester United.

As well as watching training, the guests were welcomed to Cobham by club legend and our current technical and performance advisor Petr Cech in a question and answer session, as well as getting photos taken with the Champions League trophy we won in Porto in May.

Once training was finished, the visitors had the chance to speak with the current Chelsea squad, while taking socially distanced photographs with them and receiving signed player cards, adding permanent mementos from the day to the many priceless memories.

Among the guests at Cobham were Maxim Rushman and his brother Jack from Suffolk, who have both been Blues fans since early childhood.

‘Funnily enough, my brother, who’s here with me, was the one who got me into Chelsea,’ said Maxim. ‘When we were kids he got me into football so that’s why I support Chelsea.

‘This is my first time here. It’s so unreal because you see everyone face to face and you’re able to meet people but also you’re able to see behind the scenes and everything else. It’s crazy!

‘I like Timo, he seems like a really nice guy and even when he’s been under a lot of pressure he’s always kept positive, so I think he’s a good role model. He was definitely the player I enjoyed meeting most.’

Another guest, Morven MacDonald, had travelled all the way from Glasgow to meet her hero Edouard Mendy, and went home with a special gift from the goalkeeper.

‘I got Mendy’s gloves because he’s my favourite player,’ she explained. ‘He said we are enemies because I’m a striker!

‘Except for Mendy, I liked meeting Mount. I just like him, he’s a nice guy and I like the way he plays, he’s a good player.’

The regular Community Days see the Chelsea Foundation linking up with a range of charities to arrange visits for supporters and their carers, giving them a well-deserved boost in what is often a difficult time for them and their families.