Blog: Are you sitting comfortably, asks Tracey O’Sullivan, because the conversation went something like this:

“So, you’re cancelling our date on Friday, the birthday dinner I have been planning , to go and watch the football and you want me to pick you up afterwards?”

“Yes please, but it is for a good cause and I will make it up to you, I promise.”

Now are you picturing some long suffering football widow and her husband pleading to be let off the hook to watch the England game tonight?

Wrong.

This was the scene played out earlier this week by my friend Rebecca and her ‘date’ for tonight. And she was the one pleading for a pass out for the evening.

Now I must confess it was my fault. You see, Rebecca is no big fan of football but I had pleaded with her to join my experiment.

I want to see if non-football fans can get into the ‘beautiful game’ and with my husband abandoning me for tonight’s crucial clash it was the perfect opportunity to see if it would survive a girls’ night in. The kind that normally would be reserved for the DVD release of Sex and the City 2 or a re-run of Mamma Mia.

It took some convincing to get Rebecca to see the beauty in this plan but she has come round – now all I have to do is persuade her to get in the spirit of things with a red and white dress code complete with a Vuvuzela accessory. I think France might have more luck lifting the World Cup after last night’s disaster.

Although as I am Irish, He Who Knows felt it only right to fill me in on a certain game between Ireland and France. “Safe journey home Thierry, we won’t miss you.”

But I do have high hopes for tonight as my enthusiasm has certainly waned in the last few days. By all accounts there’s been a goal drought, with even the most ardent fans branding this tournament so far as boring, and I am physically shattered just trying to keep up with watching as many games as possible while ensuring I drop none of the balls I normally have to juggle in a regular week.

I mean, I had to watch Coronation Street with my cornflakes this morning and I’m running out of space on sky+ as I struggle to catch up with all my usual programmes. I really miss you, Grey’s Anatomy.

Luckily the Spain upset added to the tension this week but without much action on the pitch I failed to see the fun in it.

He Who Knows is acting like he has had ten too many espressos at the thought of tonight’s game, but all I can think about is the sale at Debenhams with free delivery and how I can squeeze in a little online shopping before kick-off. (Oh yes, I should say it is free delivery for orders today only).

The most fun I have had is planning my outfit for tonight and getting in the bubbly and the football-inspired cupcakes. It’s a treat good enough for Carrie Bradshaw so I’m hoping it will win over the girls tonight. It really needs to.

Poor old Rebecca had a tough time tackling a rather awkward question from her other half: “I’m just wondering how this would go down if the boot was the other foot?”

Well I suppose that’s exactly what I’m trying to find out, and in the meantime I’m hoping I make the whole experience worth Rebecca’s very worthy sacrifice to help out a friend in need.

So let’s hope the girls just wanna have fun and the boys win with style.

Come on England.