With the physical and mental scars of World Cup failure less than a week old, Logica had to return to the bread and butter of domestic league football with a fixture against high-flying St.Anselms. Indeed Saints are running neck and neck with Archers to clinch the Division Two Championship, and desperately needed all three points from this, their last match of the season. So it would be no meaningless end-of-season kick-about, although it would probably be Logica's last game of the season also.

Groom had his work cut out. The Amsterdam carnage had taken its toll with serious injuries to Hatton Major, Gautam, Sidaway and Fazel amongst others, and those left standing were shuffling nervously from foot to foot at the thought of a post-match drugs test. The Supreme One had not helped his own cause by informing everyone on Wednesday that there would be no game, and then having to frantically ring around a decimated squad on Thursday evening when it transpired there was indeed a match to be played. There was some World Cup consolation, however, as Luke Stubbles was promoted from the Leatherhead side to make his Sunday morning debut. And with a hobbling Gautam agreeing to don the gloves, Logica at least had a bare eleven.

Last week, many a shrewd pundit had observed that Liverpool's exhilarating 5-4 victory over Alaves in the UEFA Cup Final had resembled something akin to a Sunday morning match, with two suspect defences leaking a hatful of goals to the delight of armchair football fans everywhere. Pundits closer to home have for some time been observing certain similarities between Logica and the Cup Treble Winners well beyond the shared "LFC" moniker - particularly during the 'Spice Boys' era. And now, with a skeletal squad facing the Champions-elect, Logica turned to their namesakes for inspiration.

After reviewing all the characteristics exhibited by Liverpool in recent weeks, Logica wisely selected 'luck' as the best attribute to copy. Far more effective than gritty defensive spirit or free-flowing attacking football. They also opted for a tactic of soaking up the pressure and hitting their opponents on the break, a technique that only a week earlier had lulled Arsenal into thinking they could win the FA Cup. This, after all, was the original 'Logica Way'.

In the first ten minutes Logica had demonstrated both attributes to ruthless effect. Jez Brown has spent most of the season mythering that he should be played as a striker. With a fine collection of own goals to his name already, Brown did not want to waste this final chance to impress his goalscoring credentials on the Supremo prior to the summer recess. A hopeful long punt forward by Anselms provided him with an ideal opportunity early doors. As Gautam trotted to the edge of his box and called for an easy take, Brown nipped in like lightning, deftly flicked the ball past the startled keeper, and attempted a blistering volley into the empty net. Sadly, the lad Brown sliced his finish of choice, and the ball went a foot wide of the post for a corner. Now, Phil Babb wouldn't have missed from there.

Suckered into believing that Logica would once more be an easy pushover, St.Anselms fell into the Arsenal trap and piled the pressure on. It was at this juncture that the counter-attack stratagem was executed. A Saints attack was broken up, and Hoyland, playing wide on the right, was fed early. His pace took him past a number of challenges, and his low cross from the bye-line was cut out only at the expense of a corner. The dead ball has headed clear by the home side, but a loitering Matt Denyer pounced on the loose ball and slipped a perfect slide-rule pass to free Hoyland once more on the right-hand edge of the box. The man from Sheffield needed just one touch to control the ball before unleashing a vicious low shot that beat the keeper and fairly fizzed just inside the far post (1-0). Not dissimilar to Fowler's second goal against Charlton, in fact.

Placing the counter-attack safely back in the locker, Logica reverted to a policy of luck. In the next twenty minutes St. Anselms hit the woodwork on no fewer than three occasions, whilst the visitors struggled to get the ball out of their half. From a corner, stand-in keeper Gautam fumbled a relatively simple catch and the ball fell to a Saints striker standing behind him, one yard from goal. Ever resourceful, Gautam decided to grasp his opponent from behind in an attempt to foil this simple tap-in. A resounding success, as the striker missed his kick and the referee completely missed this most blatant of penalties. Memories of Henchoz in Cardiff.

Back to the counter-attack then, and Craig Taylor did superbly well to intercept a pass in his own half and fire a pin-point through-ball to Abbott, which left the ageing striker free in the inside right channel. Drawing the last defender, Abbott slipped a quick pass into the feet of rampaging strike partner Stubbles, who, taking the ball in his stride, clipped a perfect left foot shot wide of the on-rushing keeper (2-0). Not dissimilar to Michael Owen's goal against Charlton, in fact.

Showing an increasingly astute fluidity in the tactics department, Logica once more returned to a strategy based around luck for the remainder of the half, as they somehow survived an intense Anselms barrage with the assistance of some dogged defending and an increasingly confident Gautam in goal. The Anselms players became increasingly frustrated as they saw their Championship pot slipping away from them, and as the interval approached, all but the referee saw the darker side of the Saints. Paul Mainwaring had executed a perfect sliding tackle on the left touch-line, after which his opponent decided to stick the boot in. 'Play on,' says the man in black. This was Logica's first indication that the referee might not be made of the sternest stuff.

After the break, Logica continued to soak up the incessant pressure, but for some reason seemed to eschew further use of the counter-attacking weapon. Abbott had enthusiastically embraced the Liverpool analogy, and had decided to play in a style that was a cross between Michael Owen and Gary McAllister. In the first half he displayed the blistering pace of the Scotsman, whilst in the second he displayed the kind of hamstrung vulnerability that the English striker is renowned for.

For twenty-five minutes Logica held out against this onslaught. Gautam was growing in confidence, and in front of him Mainwaring, Trovato and Denyer in particular scrapped like terriers to preserve their side's precarious lead. Brown yapped like a Pup, and received a stern talking to from the referee. The Saints players were by now becoming increasingly irate, and their frustration began to be vented by means of some fairly crude challenges on Logica players. The wide men Hoyland and Reevaldo came in for particular attention. The referee showed a curious lack of interest in any of this, although as soon as a Logica player so much as made contact with an opponent, the whistle was blown.

Eventually Logica succumbed to their old Achilles heel, defending set-pieces. Brown conceded a free kick some 35 yards out on the right touchline, and the resultant free kick was floated into a packed penalty area. Somehow, the Saints' centre half found himself unmarked, and a fairly weak header from 10 yards cruelly evaded the despairing dive of Gautam (2-1). As so often happens after holding out for so long, one goal was quickly followed by another. This time it was a corner that caused mayhem in the Logica rearguard, and after a desperate scramble, the ball was drilled home despite a gallant effort by Denyer on the line (2-2).

It was time to revert to the counter-attack. After a number of dubious offside decisions against Logica, Reevaldo found himself in a good position and fed Abbott out wide. The striker took advantage of some space on the right, but in knocking the ball slightly too far ahead of himself, had to slide in to try and win back possession. He won the tackle and the ball fell into the path of Reevaldo in the box. The Saints defender tried to recover, but as Reevaldo got to the ball first to push it clear, the mistimed tackle felled the Hackney hole-merchant in a heap. A blatant penalty, and the man in black brought the whistle to his mouth. Then, inexplicably, he stopped, withdrew his whistle and pointed for a goal-kick. Shades of the comedy Spanish official at Anfield against Roma.

Logica continued with sporadic assaults but without too much conviction. Taylor performed one dazzling run down the right wing, but was unable to quite deliver an effective cross due to a combination of tired legs and a nudge in the back. The visitors had long since given up appealing to this referee.

What Logica now needed was the sort of huge dollop of luck allegedly gained by Liverpool in extra time against Alaves. Step forward Jeremy Brown. Well hacked off with the attitude displayed by his opponents, he (not for the first time) hacked one of them to the ground, just by the corner flag. The free kick was curled in dangerously a la McAllister. Brown was decisive, called loudly for the ball and then out-leapt both centre halves to loop the most perfect header into the top corner past a helpless Gautam (2-3). It was a fine leap of Salmonic proportions, and the equal of Delfin Geli's effort ten days earlier in Dortmund.

Sadly, it was not quite the intervention from Lady Luck that Logica had been looking for, but Brown had at least further enhanced his claim on the Golden Boot Award. Relaxing in The Beverley at the post-match press conference, Brown claimed to have notched five times this season, although this did include one goal in the opposition's net.

For St.Anselms, the Championship title beckoned and they sped off to open the Champagne, with the referee one of the first to rush over and congratulate them. To be fair, Saints closely followed by Archers are probably the best teams we have come up against this season. For Logica's part, we can take heart from another display full of character, and should gain confidence from one of our better seasons in recent history. As Monsieur Houllier would doubtless observe, "we still have a way to go, but we are getting there and have much to look forward to next season." Allez les rouges.