A season that promised much as the curtain rose is already in danger of producing an unhappy ending. In glaring heat on a dust-bowl of a pitch, Logica fell to their second consecutive odd-goal defeat to remain firmly rooted at the foot of the table. It was frustrating that they could and perhaps should have taken something from the game, but they will need to stage a rapid and significant improvement if they want to put in a challenge at the other end of the table.

If the surface was a joke, the first act of the play was a veritable comedy of errors, which saw Everyman win out in the humour stakes. The home side had already squandered a glorious opportunity before taking the lead inside ten minutes. A succession of poor or non-existent Logica defensive challenges enabled Everyman to pass forward with some ease. Their first attack down the left saw the ball pulled back to an unmarked attacker who somehow hoiked the ball over the bar from ten yards, and it was left to Logica to administer a lesson in finishing.

Similar spatial generosity allowed Everyman's right-winger to send in a low cross. The danger appeared to be covered, but patrolling the near post missed his clearance amidst a cloud of dust. showed admirable discipline in shadowing his opponent into the box and good aggression to get to the loose ball first, but was aghast to see the ball fly off his boot and past the stranded in the Logica goal [0-1].

The opening scenes had been little better than low farce, but now 's players responded in an attempt to get their act together. saw some ball and started to cause problems by running at defenders and putting in some dangerous crosses and pull-backs. dropped deeper and sprayed it about a bit. One lofted pass played in on the blind side, but the Leeds man let the ball run on and it skidded away from him on the bobbly surface. The same supplier similarly played in , but the pass was just fractionally over-hit.

Another promising attack saw a effort blocked, and Logica were having some success playing in runners from deep against a square Everyman back four. The central midfielders and were timing some great runs, and an equaliser seemed on the cards.

When the goal came though, it was even more comical than the opener. was the architect, receiving a sharp pass from a throw-in, and turning his man to angle in a low cross to the front stick. Sadly his colleagues weren't on the same wavelength. The home keeper prepared himself for an easy collect, but what seemed like a given quickly became a give, as one of his defenders clattered into him in clumsy fashion. The ball ran loose and was rewarded for his persistence by being in the right place to tap into an empty net [1-1].

But the slapstick double-act was not over yet, and next it was Logica's turn to be the butt of the joke. was ushering a loose ball safely into touch, and appeared to have done so when his opponent half-heartedly attempted to keep the ball in and knock it up field. The ball looked over the line and the linesman (an Everyman substitute) waved his flag. But the referee played on, and as the Logica players stood around gawping, an Everyman forward sauntered upfield and poked the ball past an exposed [1-2].

Although not quite in the Keown - van Nistelrooy category, a few polite complaints were registered to the referee, but really Logica should know by now to play to the whistle. Worse nearly followed when a stunned defence allowed Everyman the freedom of the park once again minutes later. Again they simply worked a man clear, but his shot was inches over the bar when he really should have scored.

Some strong words at the break seemed to galvanise the visitors and they restarted with some purpose. Fired up, they pressed their opponents, allowing Everyman no time on the ball. And for half an hour it seemed only a matter of time until Logica got their equaliser.

Already boasting a goal at both ends, was making intelligent space on the right side of midfield, and seemed to be on the end of most things created. headed a goal-kick into 's path, and the striker cushioned a bouncing ball into the path of the Leeds man. raced onto the inviting pass, steering a first time effort goalwards only to see the keeper finger-tip the ball away for a corner.

But it was not long before had the ball in the net again. galloped down the right, beat two men before poking a pass into on the edge of the box. Turning swiftly, the Lag slipped a reverse pass through the square back-line and the Yorkshireman appeared to have timed his run perfectly, coming from behind a defender to lash a low shot perfectly just inside the far post. The huge away support were leaping up and down for some seconds before they noticed the same lineman's flag raised again. The referee opted to give the offside, and for the second week running Logica had had a goal disallowed in controversial circumstances.

This really shouldn't have mattered, as Logica showed perseverance in creating further good chances that should have earned at least one point, if not three. was the biggest offender: after controlling a poor goal-kick in acres of space, he shot too quickly and too weakly straight back at the keeper. His strike partner executed the shimmy of the day, fooling his marker as he side-stepped back outside him in a dazzle of feet. was away down the right, and again he fired in a brilliant low cross that somehow eluded both and at the back stick.

With time running out, the visitors began to tire rapidly in the September heatwave, although there is always one last chance. Again it was posing the threat. When one of his throws was headed back towards the right-hand touchline, he surprised everyone and Everyman by unleashing a left-foot thunderbolt out of the blue that whistled inches over the bar.

After losing the plot in the first half, Logica's performance after the interval had shown a marked improvement, to the extent that the home side did not create a single chance of note. But the critics are unlikely to hold fire for much longer, and the Logica players desperately need to stop fluffing their lines in front of goal if they are to avoid the season ending in tragedy.