In a scrappy but committed relegation 'four-pointer', Logica eventually had to thank regular hero Humphreys for enabling them to take a point against fellow candidates for the drop, Dark Star. The Logica team gave sweat and blood in about equal amounts, but produced far smaller quotas of competent football, and after a bright start, they were perhaps the happier of the two with a point by the end. It is somewhat depressing to see us struggling against such poor opposition, a team against whom Logica gained probably their most comfortable victory last season. Especially given that today's line-up was considered one of the strongest fielded all season. It is perhaps symptomatic of Logica's plight that four out of the ten Man-of-the-Match Awards so far this season have gone to a goalkeeper.

Perhaps the paucity of this last performance of 1996 can be put down to nerves. For Logica were making one of their rare appearances in the shadows of the legendary Craven Cottage, and there may have been a few players in the Logica ranks for whom the very aura eminating from this legendary stadium was enough to send the butterflies zipping about like Johnny Haynes' passes.

Logica certainly looked nervous as they struggled to get to grips with an indisciplined Star side. On a narrow pitch the long throws of Toman constituted the biggest threat and a couple of half-chances were squandered. Finally two touches of class from Woolhouse broke the dead-lock. First a visionary cross-field pass picked out Johnson on the right touch-line. The sturdy Teessider got his head down and set off for the bye-line, but it was probably the unexpected call of "Yes Wilf!" that confused the defender and led him to haul Johninho to the ground. Woolhouse took the free-kick and picked out Hatton, who calmly nodded home his second goal in two games for a 1-0 lead.

The second half followed a familiar pattern as Logica found it difficult to keep possession and excerpt any pressure. Pinned back it was Humphreys again who kept the lead in tact. A series of good saves denied Dark Star, and the double save that denied an opposing forward clean through on goal rivalled his 'Banks Save' in the Santos game. Inevitably though a goal did finally come, and Dark Star levelled with about 20 minutes left.

The game now degenerated into a niggly and bad-tempered affair. Captain Clarke was obliged to leave the field with a broken nose and blood everywhere, after heading the stray elbow of a Star forward. Ironically this was probably one of the few accidental collisions during the remainder of the game.

Logica did create one last opportunity which would have clinched a significant advantage over their relegation rivals. Spence played an optimistic ball into the channel for Abbott to chase (well, anything played in front of Abbott is optimistic these days!). Miraculously Abbott showed great determination in sliding in at the bye-line to come away from the challenging defender with the ball. Looking up, he saw the marauding Johninho speeding into the box, and picked him out with a darting cross. Keeper and defender were once more distracted by an excited whisper that observed "...and Mannion rises...", but somehow from only a couple of yards out Johnson's header lolloped over the bar. Shortly afterwards the referee curtailed this unpleasant spectacle, and Logica had once more avoided defeat on the day of The Great Christmas Bash.