Logica showed admirable persistence in fighting back from 2-0 down to gain a point in their opening league game of the new season. Had it not been for a freak St Augustines second goal, or had Logica converted a higher percentage of the good chances they created, then it would surely have been a winning start.

Following two consecutive relegations, Supremo Fleming is desperate to stop the rot, stabilise the sinking ship, and halt the slide. To this end, he has devised two cunning innovations for the new campaign. Firstly, the madness that is pre-season training has been discarded. In the nineties, we have spent just two Augusts being embarrassed by training ground cones in Regents Park, and on both occasions we have been relegated the following May. This is statistically very significant. Just because other teams do it, it’s not necessarily the right approach for the very unique Logica club.

A second and perhaps more far-reaching change of strategy involves the assimilation of loads of old, fat blokes. Yes, the Lags have been called in to save the day. The footballing lesson administered in Milan is evidently etched deep in the memory of Fleming, and it seems a drastic but obvious first step in reversing the clubs fortunes. Thus the team-sheet for match-day one boasted names such as Abbott, Lambert and Reeves, all of whom had won medals back in the days before e-mail had been invented. Fleming is also said to be considering giving another chance to another old-timer, Kevin Spence, just as long as he can improve on his woeful scoring record of last season. However the rumour circulated by one of the more fanciful tabloids, that Fleming is so desperate that he may even try to tempt 80’s goal-snatcher Keith Sidaway out of retirement, seems too far-fetched to be plausible. Malcolm Dick was unavailable to make a derisive comment.

And so Logica set about taking the Second Division by storm. An encouraging turn-out of fourteen players seemed an early affirmation of Fleming’s new policies (two players even had to be left out of the squad!), and the match started equally optimistically for the red men. A couple of good Logica passing moves created chances which were unfortunately spurned by weak shots. As the half progressed however, St Augustines showed why they had run away with the Third Division title last year, and the game became fairly evenly matched. After some twenty five minutes the home side took the lead after a fluent break from deep. The move culminated with a low shot which goalkeeper Fleming did well to save with his feet, but the ball rebounded to the striker who made no mistake a second time.

Logica reacted positively to this set-back and continued to carve out regular opportunities. Five minutes before the interval however, tragedy, comedy and history all struck in a single act play that could not have been rehearsed. Logica took a corner which was cleared, but only to a Logica player who headed back towards the penalty area. The St Augustines central midfielder did not stand on ceremony, and hoofed the ball away first time on the volley. With a moderate wind in it’s favour the ball sailed towards Fleming (some 80 yards away in the Logica goal) with a mischievous grin on its face. The Scotsman seemed to sense the farcical inevitability of it all, and, having begun to advance for a simple collect, suddenly realised that he was in no-mans land and began to back-pedal furiously. To no avail, as the ball bounced once before looping a perfect arc over the stranded goalkeeper on it’s pre-destined trajectory into the back of the net. The Saints player appeared somewhat embarrassed by his long distance strike, although not as embarrassed as the man with the gloves on.

Vitally Logica were able to pull a goal back just before half time. A flowing move saw the ball pass swiftly from right to left through Clarke, Abbott and Gautam. The latter spied Lambert breaking into the penalty area and fed the ball through to the marauding midfielder whose unselfish low cross was turned in by Hoyland from close range.

This proved a psychological boost and Logica were able to face the second half optimistically. Much character was required, as visibly tiring limbs began to send passes astray with greater and greater regularity. Substitutes were wisely used, and debutante Nich Fazel caught the eye with his pace and technique : his rasping half-volley drive from twenty yards fizzed just inches over the bar. Milan veteran Ian Reeves was brought on to fill a few holes, and Logica began to regain the ascendancy. Abbott missed a good chance when he blasted wide from just eight yards, before the substitutes combined for the equaliser. Reeves went on a characteristic darting run as he wove past three St Augustines defenders, to leave himself with just the keeper to beat. His shot was not perhaps quite as he would have wished, but the keeper could not hold it. Fazel was alert, and dived in bravely to prod home the loose ball and the score was 2-2.

The game petered out thereafter as both teams lacked full match fitness in their first game of the season. Logica’s back three deserve immense praise for a solid and well-organised performance that restricted St Augustines to few clear cut chances. Richmond was back at his talkative best, with Phil Hatton and Tim Wood dogged in their determination to stop the opposition scoring. Wing back Jake Gow also had an impressive game.