It had been a heroic performance since Christmas just to get the club into this position. With ‘nil points’ at the turn of the year, a miraculous recovery since then had left the team just needing a solitary point from this last game of the season to jump above Inter Wandsworth and guarantee survival. That they played so well in trying to make their point against promotion chasing Supercala, who also needed to win this match to have any chance of pipping Olympia to the runners-up spot, was just further proof of the commitment, application and never-say-die attitude of ’s heroes.

But these stupendous efforts to hatch an escape of Houdini proportions only served to magnify the ultimate disappointment so cruelly inflicted on Logica in the final minutes of their season. With just three minutes remaining the team were hanging on bravely at 2-2. Then Supercala won a corner, and with Logica’s exhausted players struggling to move, let alone challenge, a header back across the box was rifled home from close range and the parrots were rushing to make an emergency call on the great white telephone. The despair was almost tangible, and a fourth goal for the visitors in injury time bundled home against a ragged Logica team was a particularly spiteful taunt from the Football Gods.

Twenty minutes earlier, it had all looked so different. Although tiring noticeably, Logica’s players were dragging some superhuman reserves of energy from somewhere to hang on to a 2-0 lead. They were even playing with enough aplomb to create a number of presentable chances up the other end. If any one of these had been converted, one feels sure that this would have clinched victory, let alone the draw needed. However, as soon as Supercala pulled one goal back with twenty minutes left, Logica’s legs suddenly looked twice as heavy.

This was no surprise for they had given their all in pursuit of their grail. Despite missing the likes of , , , , and , had still been able to assemble a good-looking squad (in the footballing sense, obviously) and was rewarded with some commitment beyond the call of duty. turned in a heroic performance despite sporting a couple of black eyes and feeling "unwell", whilst his central midfield partner had chosen to play above being at the side of a loved one undergoing some major surgery. This is the kind of devotion that inspires.

There are things in life even more important than football. With the kind of timing usually reserved for one of his tackles, had chosen the last morning of the season for his new bairn’s christening. If the absence of the Row Z merchant himself was not a big enough blow, the font-side presence of was also expected. To his credit, the in-form defender turned up to play the first 30 minutes, and left the fray with the game goalless.

Even during this brief cameo, was once again everywhere as Logica came under some early pressure. Supercala mounted an intense 15-minute onslaught midway through the half, and despite the dogged efforts of those in front of him, was repeatedly called into action, and he pulled off some tremendous saves to keep Logica level. A number of blocks and full length saves were capped by the miraculous reflex save of a point-blank volley that the Logica keeper somehow managed to tip onto the bar and over.

Even before and during this spell, Logica were playing with a belief that would have been unrecognisable before Christmas. As well as soaking up the pressure at one end, they were also able to keep carving out some serious threats up the other end, and really should have scored twice early doors. A promising Logica attack seemed to have fizzled out when a weak ball into the box seemed well covered. But the Bobble Gods were clearly in mischievous mood, and not one but two huge bobbles saw the lolloping ball evade two defenders and wriggle through to . The striker turned on a sixpence, but from eight yards his rolled shot bounced back off a post from where it was gratefully cleared.

And minutes later had a chance that last week’s hat-trick hero would have expected to bury in his current form. bravely won a header in midfield, and turned to play a well-weighted pass back to the Leeds man who had continued his run down the right flank. As darted to the near post, picked out loitering behind with a neat pull-back. But as a defender desperately slid in to block, the experienced striker dragged his low left-foot shot wide of both goalkeeper and post.

Such profligacy would have seen heads drop in earlier games, but now a determined Logica kept plugging away and were rewarded with two goals before the break as both strikers made up for their earlier misses. First a high bouncing ball was bravely won by who flicked on with his head. had anticipated and got to the ball first on the left corner of the penalty area. With the merest of looks up, the striker executed one of his trade-mark lobs, zipping the ball high over a startled keeper with a first time left-foot strike that found the inside of the back stick side-netting with perfect accuracy [1-0]. It was another sublime strike from the old Lag, who, as Motty would doubtless note, has been conducting his own personal Goal of the Season competition over the past few weeks.

And just seconds before half time, Logica had a second goal, more simply but no less clinically dispatched. Increasing home pressure had forced another corner, and this time whipped it viciously into the danger zone. had got a yard on his marker, enabling him to bullet a downward header that was too powerful for both keeper and defender on the line [2-0].

It is becoming a relentless half-time mantra, but the Logica players were once again implored to produce more of the same in pursuit of their goal. And with filling the boots of with great aplomb, it looked for a long time like Logica would and should pull it off. Supercala were getting increasingly frustrated, with plenty of sharp retorts for their vocal gaffer on the sidelines. And whilst the third-placed team boasted the majority of possession, Logica were creating as many clear-cut openings, if not more.

continued his good form and excellent handling after the break, and twice Supercala players blazed high and wide from good positions. But Logica were still posing a regular and potent threat on the break and created a string of chances, any one of which could have sealed the match. led the way, turning superbly on half way to roll past his marker and head goalwards. But, having elegantly danced past another challenge to open up a clear run on goal, a superb last-ditch tackle denied the Leeds man on the edge of the box just as he was about to pull the trigger.

was dropping deeper to pick up some scraps, and twice released colleagues with accurate passes as Logica regularly broke with pace. But both and were denied by good tackles as they tried to get past the last defender.

Both players got one step closer with their next chance. was still running himself into the ground in the cause, and now his perseverance got him onto the end of a long ball over the top as keeper and defender left it to each other. Still some 35 yards out, cut back inside the keeper to open up the chance to shoot, but with the defender still in front of him, he opted to cut back again on to his right foot only to have the ball nicked off his toe from behind.

’s long throw never ceases to surprise, and not for the first time it was thinking ahead to get on the end of the launch. Holding the ball up, he then laid it nicely into the path of his strike partner. hit the ball low and true but the Supercala keeper managed to get down and parry at full length, and unfortunately there was nobody following up for Logica.

However as the game had entered its final quarter, the Logica limbs were beginning noticeably to wane in the hot sun, and the defending gradually became more desperate as the game progressed. More often a hard-won ball at the back was simply hoofed clear as Logica hung on for dear life. moved quickly to bring on some fresh legs, with and introduced to the fray.

But with twenty minutes left Supercala pulled one back as they engineered a shooting position on the edge of the box. once more pulled off a save at full stretch, but this time the ball fell to an attacker who bundled the rebound home despite 's desperate attempt to clear the ball before it crossed the line [2-1].

Suddenly Supercala’s frustrations evaporated and Logica’s legs seemed full of lead. The home team clung on desperately, pulling more men behind the ball but struggling to keep possession for long. Then Supercala’s right-winger advanced down the touchline and wafted through two challenges as if they weren’t there. A neat pull-back from the bye-line was converted on the turn, the ball rifling into the roof of the net past the helpless [2-2].

There were nine minutes left and still Logica had the point they needed. Some brave and heroic efforts somehow managed to hold a reinvigorated Cala at bay as the clock ticked down. The visitors had seized on their psychological advantage and pressed on for the kill with three rapid substitutions. Still Logica held on, but with just three minutes left, one of those substitutes burst down the left and hit the bye-line. typified Logica’s resolution as he bravely bundled the ball behind for a corner. But it turned out he was merely delaying the kill, and as the corner was headed back across goal, it was Cala who reacted far quicker to bang home the loose ball from three yards [2-3]. The game was up, and a fourth goal in injury time was immaterial [2-4].

It was painfully cruel to come so close and be pipped at the death. Not just in this match, but also in pulling off a miraculous escape over the second half of the season. However, all may not be lost yet. As the mandarins retire to juggle their teams and draft out next season's divisions, Logica’s impressive fight-back may still count for something. Seventeen points is a respectable haul given our new year blank, and it has not gone unnoticed that those just above us have benefited hugely from match awards. And it will certainly not have done Logica’s chances any harm to turn in such a fine performance with a mandarin in the middle refereeing us. But, for now, we must just wait until the League AGM on17th May when we will find out our ultimate fate.