FORGOING the usual indulgences that most people enjoy at Christmas is a small sacrifice that all footballers have to make.
While most of us were tucking into our Christmas lunch or supping a festive tipple yesterday, players up and down the country were in strict preparation for a traditional Boxing Day fixture the following afternoon.
And it was no different for Craig Disley as the Grimsby Town skipper readied himself for the local derby with Lincoln City this afternoon.
At 31, the Worksop-born midfielder has had a few 'Footballer's Christmases' during his career.
It is a sacrifice that he is happy to make, saying he's happy to defer his own celebrations until the end of the season, when he hopes Town will be toasting a return to the Football League.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Disley said: "As a footballer, it's quite difficult at Christmas when your not with your family as much as you like and you have to watch what you eat and drink, but we get our Christmas in May and June at the end of the season.
"It's a small sacrifice to make and we've got to make sure that we prepare right for the games that we've got over Christmas.
"It's a tough programme but if we can come out of these games with a good points total then it will stand us in good stead for a push in the New Year – hopefully it will be a good 2013 for us."
Their victory over Wrexham on Friday got the Mariners' Christmas off to a perfect start as they went top of the Blue Square Bet Premier league table once again.
And the captain now wants to follow up their slaying of the Red Dragons with another win at Sincil Bank this afternoon (1pm).
He added: "Personally, I can't wait for the derby – I know the lads are looking forward to it and I know the fans are as well.
"The atmosphere is going to be amazing and, as a footballer, these are the games you want to be playing in.
"The Wrexham win obviously sent us top and that has set us up well for this afternoon – we can't wait."
Disley, now something of a veteran of derbies with the Imps after playing in all of last season's clashes, added: "The atmosphere in the derby games last year was awesome.
"We weren't as well placed in the league as we are this time around, but the amount of fans we took to their place was fantastic.
"We're taking another great following this year and it's going to be a fantastic occasion again."
The Mariners will come up against a different Lincoln City side to that of just a few months ago.
After a torrid start to the season which saw the Imps drop briefly into the relegation zone, David Holdsworth's men have enjoyed something of a mini-revival and currently sit tenth in the Blue Square Bet Premier.
Disley knows the importance of not under-estimating Town's country cousins, but says that the Mariners' current form shows they are more than a match for anyone in the league.
"Lincoln are on a great run and they did well in the Cup so it will be a different game to what it might have been a few months ago," he continued.
"They're on their home patch so they will be confident but, at the minute, we feel that if we're on our mettle and play to our capabilities then we're more than a match for anyone in this league.
"We didn't start the season well and we were going into games looking not to get beaten, now we're going into every game expecting to win.
"It is a different mind-set for us now and the confidence is there and long may that continue."
Town will be without the influential pairing of Scott Neilson and Ross Hannah for today's derby.
Neilson looks set to move to Town's league rivals Luton Town after completing his loan spell with the Mariners, while fellow loanee Ross Hannah has also returned to parent club Bradford City.
Disley admits that both will be missed but said that the Town squad has enough depth to cope with their absence.
"There is no doubt that they're going to be missed – they've made a massive impact since they've been here", he said, "But we have got the squad to cover for those players."
"Obviously Scotty won't be coming back but there's a chance that Ross will.
"I hope we can do a deal for him because he's been magnificent for us.
"We've got a good squad though and we have players that can do a good job so today is a chance for players that have been on the fringes to stake their claim and do all they can to keep their shirt."
