It may be a funny old game, but there are some things in football that have a reassuring predictably. Autumn in particular can be relied upon to turn up some seasonal certainties, aside that is from the leaves falling and the trains grinding to a halt.

By the end of September, Manchester United seem to feel that they should offer some hope to the chasing pack to keep things interesting for a little while longer, by dropping a small smattering of points like a few bread-crumbs generously scattered for the birds. In 1999 it was a 5-0 drubbing by Chelsea followed by a 3-3 draw at home to Southampton, both courtesy of some dodgy keeping by Taibi. This time out it was a 3-3 at home to Chelsea, courtesy of some dodgy keeping by van der Gouw, and a 1-0 reverse at Highbury. Come October, Gerard Houllier is usually desperately imploring the Anfield faithful that he can turn things around and that Liverpool are genuine title contenders, honest guv’nor. Patrick Vieira has usually started his first suspension by this stage of the season, and more often than not Alan Shearer has mustered his first Premiership goal of the campaign (sometimes even from open play).

The Logica club is rarely one to buck the well-established trends of the People’s Game, and the team have developed their own little autumnal traditions. Apart from misleadingly having nearly twenty players making themselves available for the first two games of the season (but never again thereafter), the legendary Sidaway can usually be relied upon to have blustered through his first flounce of the season by the time October comes around. Last season Sidaway sought revenge for hearing of his exclusion from The Wise Supremo’s latest squad via the Internet, and wreaked havoc with the squad to face Sportobello by deploying some high quality misinformation regarding the clocks going back. This time out Sidaway took exception to the stand-in Supremo’s squad selection strategy, and removed himself from the first squad of the season.

And, of course, a more recent Logica tradition is that Abbott misses the first penalty of the season just as Autumn begins to get the better of summer. This inevitably leaves the ageing striker without a goal to his name (despite the club’s great start to the season), and his colleagues somewhat sceptical when faced with the explanation that the spot-kick was fluffed simply "to make Sidaway feel a bit better". As last season began, Abbott had never missed a penalty in over 11 years playing for the club. His first ever miss came last September in the 6-3 trouncing of Wandsworth Town, but seemed nothing more than a statistical inevitability. But having missed a second Autumnal spot kick, and this time at a key time in a match that Logica eventually lost, questions are beginning to be asked.

Logica were 3-1 down at half time, but had employed some of their new found confidence to regain the upper hand during the first fifteen minutes after the interval. Without creating many clear-cut chances, Logica were taking the game to Archers, and were on top in midfield. On the hour Abbott released Hoyland with a ball over the top, and as the young striker raced shoulder to shoulder with a defender in pursuit, the Logica man fell to the ground. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot, although Hoyland admitted immediately (although quietly) that it was not a penno. Abbott had a long walk to fetch the ball and perhaps he could hear the Corinthian voice of Mr Robert Fowler inside his head, reminding the Logica striker of his noble act at Highbury some years ago in the same situation. In any event, after finally returning and planting the ball on the spot, Abbott’s kick was mis-hit and the Archer’s keeper just managed to hang out a trailing foot and deflect the ball tantalisingly along the goal line and away for a corner.

The psychological impact of this miss on the team was dramatic. In a nightmare ten minute spell they conceded three further goals to trail 6-1 and the game was up. Even a consolation goal for captain Dav Gautam, rifling home following a long Taylor throw, was cancelled out by a seventh Archers’ goal right on the final whistle. "No excuses," insisted Abbott bravely after the match, "but it was all Sidaway’s fault. I had promised him my next penalty to help him over the traumas of Manchester, and was thus not mentally prepared for the heavy responsibility. I was also knackered after such a long walk to fag the ball, and the penalty area was covered in those strange cobwebby things. And the slope on that pitch is very disorientating, especially after all that heavy rain. And their keeper really did have the most unfeasibly lanky legs," concluded the striker gallantly.

Such a disappointing result was hardly imaginable during the early part of the game. Groom had faced his first selection headache, but had responded creditably by drafting in Brown and Sutton on the flanks to replace the absent Reevaldo, Clarke and Wood, and switching Taylor into the middle to partner Gautam. Without playing well, Logica took the game to the home side, whose confidence seemed to ebb noticeably at the self-belief demonstrated by the visitors, especially when Logica took the lead inside ten minutes. Phill Hatton showed great strength to force his way through two challenges and set Hoyland free down the right. The speedy striker reached the bye-line and cut back a perfect low cross that was tucked home by the marauding Jez Brown, who promptly put his shirt over his head and sped away in pursuit of his exposed belly.

Logica continued to look in control until two unfortunate incidents midway through the half. First Archers equalised from a long throw hurled into the box that Logica failed to deal with. Within minutes Skippy limped from the field having pulled his hamstring stretching for a bouncing ball. The loss of Logica’s aerial master was always likely to be crucial against a team of very tall blokes, but the team failed to reorganise quickly enough and conceded two further goals within minutes. The second was very similar to the first, as a defensive mix-up resulted in a high ball into the box not being cleared properly, and third found Archers breaking at speed to catch Logica with insufficient cover at the back.

The team were demoralised after the game, as you might expect after a 7-2 defeat. However, things are not as bad as the scoreline suggests, and it is imperative that this setback does not ruin what has been the most promising start to a season for many years. The crux was two short spells in each half in which the opposition netted thrice each time. Outside of this, Logica matched the opposition without really finding the form of the previous weeks, and the impact of losing Dave Richmond so early in the match cannot be under-estimated. On the plus side, Taylor and Gautam were impressive in the centre of midfield and Brown could have had a second goal had not his blistering drive hit an unsuspecting defender as it fizzed goalwards. If there was a difference between this and the preceding games, it was that Logica did not have the outlet provided by the wide men in the two victories. At the end of the day though, there will be plenty for Groomo to cogitate over during the next fortnight before Logica face Pump House FC.