Note: some pictures are available here of 'the goal that never was'.

Inspired by Mr Sidaway's stirring multi-media Tandoori reminders of the great feats achieved by the legends of yesteryear, Logica produced a fine display which included the majority of the footballing arts. Such a performance certainly deserved more than the solitary point it yielded. It should also be noted that this was Logica's first game for five weeks, and that we were facing the league leaders. Consequently the fact that we were extremely disappointed not to take all three points, only serves to underline the quality of our performance.

It was a big pity therefore that Mr Sidaway was not present to see the results of his motivational masterpiece. After many months embroiled in a high profile media campaign directed against the Supremo of the Last Millennium for a perceived selective de-selection policy, it is doubly unfortunate that on his first post-spat selection, Mr Sidaway was unable to attend due to a heavy nights drinking. But such are the conflicting engagements of your modern highly tuned athlete. Mr Rafferty also cried off at the eleventh hour, and thus the People's Supremo was left with just a bare eleven with which to start a second century of the Logica Way.

In contrast, there was a healthy crowd that had braved the winter elements to attend this match at the Boston Manor M4-odrome, including the entire membership of the South African branch of the Logica FC Supporters Club. This proved useful to Reevaldo in the second half, as he benefitted from some helpful advice proffered by the 'Bafana Bafana' (none other than Bobby Moore in fact!).

The fixture computer had paired Logica and Zeebras on the opening day of the season, but due to the unavoidable bad luck of 23 Logica players still being on holiday, Zeebras were awarded the points. Thus the men in red and black were eager to prove what should have been, and started the match with the kind of determined application not seen since that first month of the season. The football they played was excellent, and it was the league leaders who were left chasing shadows.

Logica's passing and movement was exemplary, and some well crafted chances resulted. Abbott turned his man on the bye-line but the keeper just managed to palm away his low cross as two Logica players waited to pounce. Gautam sprayed a pin-point forty yard pass into the path of a great run by Banoub, but as the keeper advanced the Boro-man's left foot shot was wide. A goal surely had to come, and it appeared to have done so when Abbott once again turned his man marker inside out and floated a cross to the far post. Banoub was back-pedalling for a header, but Brown was coming in behind him in a better position. With not a defender within ten yards, Brown warned Banoub that it was "my ball"; Banoub ducked and Brown swept in a low cross. Skippy (for it was he) had timed his run to perfection and hoiked home the loose ball with an imperious arc of his left shin.

A goal appeared to have been awarded as the Logica players and the referee headed back to the half way line. But the referee's attention was drawn by some half-hearted complaints from a Zeebra or two. After hearing the plea, the man in black decided to rule out the strike on the basis that no name had been given when Jez Brown called "my ball". This, after all, was the same referee that had sent off an Oakwood substitute courtesy of two yellow cards in last season's opening game before the player had even got onto the field of play!

All through the first half, Reevaldo had been weaving his deceptively paced magic on the right-wing, and it was no surprise when Logica arrived at an equaliser down this one-way street. The Walsall Wizard was played into this channel, and cunningly conjured up the illusion of a lack of pace by letting his defender catch up with him. A sharp turn inside bamboozled his man, and, after casually skirting another challenge he rolled the ball to Abbott. The fleet-haired striker side-stepped the last defender and placed a firm left foot shot just inside the post from fifteen yards. The goalkeeper got a hand to the shot, but some shrewdly delayed back-spin ensured that it slipped through his grasp and into the net (1-1).

It was no more than Logica deserved, but whilst applying most of the pressure they were still susceptible to a long hoof in the direction of the galloping Zeebra up front with a ten on his back. Two further such breaks left him with a clear run on goal, but on both occasions Groom advanced from his goal both bravely and adeptly to block the shots on goal. Our sense of injustice at the disallowed goal dissipated slightly when our arbitrary arbiter chose to decline appeals for a Zeebras penalty after Trovato had executed one his sliding scythes, which unceremoniously felled a Zeebra inside the penalty area. There were few Logica players who didn't think it was a penalty, although Groom later said that, from his vantage point, no contact had been made.

A blistering Gautam pile-driver just before the break from twenty yards seemed goal-bound until it struck the head or hand of a defender. It was thus fitting that after a somewhat unconvincing start to the second half, it should be this very midfielder who gave Logica the lead. Richmond broke from deep and fed the diagonal run of Banoub, who held the ball up until Gautam arrived in support. Gautam advanced menacingly before cutting inside his man and unleashing a scorching thunderbolt into the top right-hand corner of the Zeebras net (2-1).

Within minutes Wood and Gautam had conjured up a third Logica goal. The home side were awarded a free kick some forty yards out, and the midfield duo discussed at some length the options available to them. Finally Gautam jogged off into the box, before Wood carefully planted his free-kick at just the right elevation to skid off the back of a defenders head and into the path of Gautam, who finished low and hard past a helpless keeper (3-1). As observed after the match, definitely one from the training ground...

At this point Zeebras scuppered all Logica's carefully thought-out tactical half-time readjustments to cope with their pacey number ten, by unexpectedly substituting him. Well, this threw us into disarray and the visitors soon pulled a goal back. Unable to deal with yet another long throw, the ball was flicked back into the path of a Zeebras forward who was able to round the wrong-footed Groom and score (2-3). Logica continued to threaten sporadically, mostly through Reevaldo's measured thrusts on the right, but it was Zeebras who pulled level with fifteen minutes left. Once again Logica were unable to deal with a quick break, and a flashing drive into the roof of the net again gave Groom no hope (3-3).

Undeterred, Logica battled back. Reeves broke from midfield and spotted Abbott's run inside his marker. The ball was perfect but Abbott's first touch was not, and the ball rolled too close to the keeper. But Abbott has obviously learned a thing or two from Sidaway down the years, and slid in to challenge the lunging goalie. Abbott got there first, his shot was blocked, but the loose ball ran to the supporting Banoub who had no trouble firing past the defender on the line (4-3).

Banoub, who had been having a long running dispute with his marker throughout the match, celebrated by pointing out the name on the back of his shirt to his seemingly vanquished foe. The referee had a "quiet word", although there were once again fears that the goal might be disallowed by our unpredictable umpire. The goal stood, but Banoub was soon at odds with his opponent again. Having been played clear he fell in the penalty area under the challenge of two Zeebras. His marker was incensed, claiming a dive, but Banoub retorted with Wildean eloquence, by observing that "I'm just too fast for you, that's all."

Logica just had to hold on for ten minutes now, but holding on has never been our strong point, and it appeared that the sudden realisation that we were on the verge of victory brought on a severe case of stage fright. Fluffing our lines in the final scene, Zeebras were gifted a number of chances that not only yielded an equaliser, but also produced two chances for the visitors that could have lost us the game. First an unmarked Zeebra (Is this akin to a leopard that has changed its spots? Ed) blasted high from ten yards, before the visitors did equalise when a volleyed cross was headed home at the far post (4-4). At the death a repeat move found another unmarked Zeebra heading badly wide from eight yards.

This could be viewed as a let-off for Logica, but on the overall balance of play it was Logica and not the league leaders who deserved to win the match. Our football was superior, and we may finally have found the perfect role for the mercurial talents of Reevaldo. Once again our inability to hold on to a lead when 3-1 up proved costly, but at least it was a point against the league leaders, and a promising performance with which to start the new century.