Logica's first match of the season was postponed at the eleventh hour for a quite unexpected reason. As the squad focused their minds on this vital fixture, the Supremo received an urgent phone-call from Sportsmans League HQ on Saturday afternoon to say that the game had had to be called off.

The mandarin on the other end of the line was somewhat vague as to the reason for this last minute cancellation, but "If Selected..."s extensive network of contacts in high places means that we can reveal the truth behind this veritable farrago. Our source alleges that the match had to be called off after ground staff at the Stade d’ILEA realised too late that they had no nets available for Sunday's big curtain-raiser.

Immersed in the Logica Way, our leader was not to be deterred by such a piffling obstacle and determined to find a solution. Ever resourceful, he called upon ageing striker Mark Abbott, whose many years experience in the football administration game would surely enable him to solve the problem. As he set off to the shops, Abbott determined to give it his best shot, but sadly after many hours wandering around aimlessly, he had singularly failed to find the net as instructed, and the Supremo was forced to concede defeat and inform his players that the long-awaited start to the season must be delayed by a week.

This is all somewhat disappointing. With a twelve team division, club 'suits' have already been expressing concern at the pressures inherent in packing twenty two matches in between now and next May, not to mention the half a dozen or so extra fixtures that the anticipated good Cup run would entail on top of this. Players at this level cannot hope to give their very best for an expectant public if they are playing too many games. Already there is barely a free weekend in Logica's schedule, and everyone is only too aware of the disasterous impact that last winter's bad weather had on the fixture list. And now, with Autumn barely out of first gear, Logica already have a postponed fixture to try and rearrange.

And a sell-out home crowd will be doubly disappointed at missing out on this game. Not only is optimism high for the team's prospects in this campaign, but they would also have been highly excited at the rare opportunity of seeing two of the club's all-time greats in action. With the Supremo struggling to assemble the first squad of the season due to the usual collection of late-holiday and runny-nose excuses, word went out on the Lag Network. Both Kevin Spence and Keiran Toman graciously responded to the gaffer's desperate plea and offered their services for this all-important match. It can only be hoped that the public get another chance to see these two legends in action later in the season.

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