Memories. That's what the game is about when all the other nonsense fades. The dubious owners, the dodgy ref, the questionable tactics, the transfer window guff: all disposable, in their own way.

Memories are not. They survive just about anything. They are what bring us back to the same square of terrace, or seat. They are the reason we fall in love with and then stay faithful to a game that sometimes tries its best to deter us.

Michael Bridges, that great Carlisle United player, put it best. His abiding motivation was to give supporters something they could talk about in the pub long after the stadium had emptied.

"Did you see what he did there?" was what Bridges liked to think people were saying after one of his better days.

Not every player is a Bridges. But his message is universal. All footballers are part of the memories industry before anything else. They are the performers, we the watchers, and what we take away is entirely in their hands.

Even the most fleeting or innocuous memory can have value far beyond the result, the wage packet or whatever else.

It can be modest, it can be amazing, or it can be somewhere in the middle of that vast scale. This week the mind's video reel went back to 1999, and a pre-season friendly between Carlisle and Motherwell.

United took a pasting that day, a sign of the season to come. But the abiding memory is still clear: a beautifully-struck, first-time volley from outside the penalty area by a player in blue. It dipped powerfully into the net before the goalkeeper could consider his dive.

Tony Hopper was the goalscorer. That day it was his turn to supply the pub talk. Even if it was the first and last thing he ever did in a United shirt, it would, in its own way, have been precious enough.

That is the game's special power, and of course it was not all that Hopper did. For years at Carlisle and then at Workington, he gave the best of himself for the communities that converged around those two clubs; running, fighting, playing, trying.

There was not a wonder strike every week. There cannot be. The memories industry is sustained by hard work far more than spectacular deeds. Hopper, whilst part of a formidable group of talented young Cumbrian players, also had to dig deep in some tough seasons whilst building and maintaining his career.

All part of the show, all part of the stage. But enough memories survive the struggles. When Carlisle achieved their miracle in '99, Jimmy Glass and all, Hopper had been on the pitch until the 74th minute, playing his determined part in a day that, for many, will never be surpassed.

At United there were 10 years of Hopper giving his all in this way, and at Workington 10 more. When he eventually stepped away from the latter, a guard of honour at Borough Park, when Carlisle were the pre-season opponents, told you how much he had given that part of Cumbria too.

People appreciated what he stood for. They respected someone who had been on the pitch, for their benefit, more times than they could count. He wore shirts that many of us wished we could.

He did, because he was one of the few who was good enough to wear them; good enough to get past the obstacles that prevent most aspiring kids from ever becoming footballers; good enough to accompany gifted friends like Rory Delap into the memories game for the best years of his life.

He was one of us in blue, or red, and so it is now poignant that Hopper and his family are now seeking different memories; memories of their own. Time is precious, because of a diagnosis of bulbar-onset motor neurone disease: an awfully cruel condition to be carried by such a popular and - on the basis of everything said by those who know him these past few days - nice man.

An average prognosis of two to three years from the onset of symptoms - Hopper's began last May - is not information that can be softened by words on a page. The Hoppers will already be learning that advice, and help, and goodwill, however well-intentioned and received, can only affect so much.

It is a bastard of an illness, truly, one that few of us can imagine coping with.

It is also, it was made clear when I visited the family on Wednesday, something that strips life back only to that which is important. On that basis it is telling that the Hoppers, having found the strength to go public with their situation, now want first and foremost to create some happy memories.

While supporting motor neurone disease charities is also on their agenda, the subject of the initial fundraising campaign, launched online this week, is to help Tony, 40, and his wife Sue take their three young sons to Disneyland.

That is hoped to be just one of several adventures. On their gofundme page, which has attracted extraordinary support, the Hoppers wrote: "We plan to spend each and every penny on experiences, so by contributing to this fund you are creating fun and adventure. You can even offer suggestions on what you have done that was unforgettable. We don’t have a specific “Bucket list”, we are keeping an open mind and plan to be spontaneous, which will be super exciting for the kids."

Fun. Adventure. Experiences. Not material things that will perish, not concerns that will soon seem irrelevant. When all that is cut away, what is more valuable than the memories you can pack into the time you have?

It is as true of football, in its own trivial world, as it is of life. Those Carlisle supporters heading to Wycombe today, the Workington faithful venturing to Stafford, will hope to bring back memories above all else. They will also, you can be sure, have Tony Hopper in their thoughts.

The fundraising site also says: "The aim of this page is to raise enough money to fill the next two years with enough memories to last a lifetime for our boys."

One cannot guess at the courage needed even to type those words. In the name of a man who put himself out there for us, 20 years of memories and more, returning the favour now seems the very least we can do.

* To donate to the Hopper family's 'Creating Hoppy Memories' campaign, visit https://www.gofundme.com/creating-hoppy-memories

* To donate to Tony's fightback fund for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Tony-Hopper