There was plenty of space in the heated Stade dressing room last Sunday as Logica's pampered stars stayed away in their droves, and now it seems that the MoM electorate are following suit and voting with their feet. With a complete and flagrant disregard for all those Victorian ladies with whalebone corsets who hurled themselves sacrificially under the thundering hooves of galloping race horses in order to earn you the privilege of casting a vote in a modern democratic society, just two voters mustered the energy to visit the MoM Polling Booth this week.

Denied the opportunity to spoil one's e-ballot paper, this might at first sight be deemed a just indictment after the team crashed 5-0 to promotion chasing Spectra. But that would be grossly unfair on the ten players who battled gamely against all the odds, especially in the face of a howling gale during the first half. At least those who bothered voting maintained the electorate's reputation as a knowledgeable footballing public, for the two players who polled a vote each put in a stirring performance in the midfield engine room, hounding their more numerous opponents, and battling gamely right up to the 90th minute when Melville carved out Logica's only genuine chance after running half the length of the field. All that can be said in conclusion is that Melville and Scaramanga have ground out the kind of gritty 1-1 draw that the gaffer can only dream of at the moment.