All good runs must come to an end some time, but Logica's recent impressive sequence of victories was halted in somewhat emphatic fashion this morning. Against a London Radnor side playing good football, they turned in their most shambolic performance for some time, and were duly gubbed by eight goals to two. Not even the lucky yellow and green kit could save the day.

The gaffer had been pondering a number of injury concerns prior to this vital Division Two clash, and although Logica were without Gautam, Hoyland, Fleming, Banoub, and Mainwaring due to various knocks, Groom did at least receive some good news late in the week when both Hattons Major, and Minor passed fitness tests on a dodgy knee and a slack e-mail response time respectively. Logica could consequently approach this "top of the table" clash from a more solid defensive basis, and they were further boosted when both Noobie and the 'Captain' hobbled half way across south-east England to lend their support from the sidelines at the Boston Manor Stadium.

Radnor's record prior to this match was quite impressive. After five matches they had won all bar one, their solitary defeat coming against league leaders Lillington. But Logica were just three points behind them, and on a day when the top six were all playing each other, they were more than aware that all three points could put them in a very good position indeed.

It did not turn out that way. Far from it. From the off, Logica looked slovenly and their passing throughout was woeful. Whilst the pitch was not the greatest in the world, this was certainly not the reason for so many simple passes going straight to the opposition. Indeed, Radnor found no such problems. Their passing was neat, their running off the ball sharp, and they ran their visitors ragged. The static Logica players seemed to have concrete in their boots. Slow to close their men down, Radnor found plenty of time and space, and their quick give-and-go's regularly left Logica trailing in their wake.

This led to a very one-sided first half that saw London Radnor race to a 5-0 half time lead. It started badly for Logica when they failed to deal with a near post corner that found its way through the pack to sneak in at the far post. And it didn't get much better. As Logica regularly gave the ball away, Radnor's quick passing found Logica's flat back four very flat footed, and a regular supply of snappy passes into the channels led to a hatful of chances. Some clinical finishing saw the home team take four of these, and Logica keeper Lee Pendleton had little chance with any of them.

Poor as they were, Logica still managed to carve out a number of presentable chances. Good work by Fazel fed Abbott, but his first time effort from twelve yards was inches wide of the far post. Reevaldo produced a carbon copy shot from Logica's best move of the half when a beautiful pass from Wood had played him clear. As half time approached, Fazel was in turned played clear, but some brilliant defending had the ball nicked off his toe just as he was about to shoot.

At the interval Groom had little option but to shuffle his pack, and he replaced himself with Marsh and brought Mercer Field on to try his luck down the right wing. Logica looked a little sharper in the early part of the second half, but normal service seemed to have been resumed when Radnor struck back with a sixth goal. If nothing else, though, Logica had had plenty of opportunity to practice their centre routine, and at the seventh time of asking, this 'set-piece' finally paid dividends. Straight from the kick-off, Abbott fed Field on the right touchline. The substitute ran at his man and beat him on the outside. Three defenders closed in on him as he reached the penalty area, but a clever turn inside fooled all of them. Field fired in a dangerous left-foot cross which had Radnor's centre half struggling to clear, and his desperate sliced header looped up and over his own keeper into for an ownie that Brown would have been proud of.

The visitors began to play with a bit of conviction and a second goal was not far behind. Fazel held the ball up well before feeding Field again on the right-wing. Another dangerous cross was deflected up in the air and Tim Wood was on hand to flick the ball backwards with his head. Abbott showed his striker's instinct to nip in front of his marker, and slide the ball home from close range.

Despite this fillip, Logica were still looking vulnerable at the back and it was not long before Radnor added a seventh, but to their credit they kept pressing forward. A through-ball from Taylor released Abbott, and he turned inside his man to feed a superb run from his strike partner. Fazel raced into the box but his cleanly struck shot whistled just the wrong side of the post with the keeper reduced to a nervous on-looker.

The Logica players were already more than aware that it was not going to be their day, but they were about to learn how the Gods love to kick a man when he's down. It was on this very same pitch two years ago, that Jez Brown executed his infamous 'Miss of the Millennium' deep inside the six yard box at the Tube End of the ground. Further evidence obtained this morning suggests that this very spot may in fact be directly beneath the epicentre of Bobble God heaven. Mercer Field again demonstrated his sprightliness as he latched onto a loose ball and rounded the keeper, before firing a low drive across the goalmouth from the bye-line. Fazel was in the right place two yards out, and a goal seemed inevitable as the ball eluded two defenders on the line. But with a bolt from above, a huge bobble suddenly appeared directly in front of him in a perfect position to deflect the ball up onto his shin from where it rebounded away from the goal.

Cruel stuff indeed, but there was worse to follow. A goal-mouth scramble found Field clear eight yards out, but his shot was blocked by the keeper. The ball rebounded to Fazel who chipped a lovely ball to the far post where two Logica players waited unmarked. Taylor took responsibility, and shaped for a close-range volley that would surely yield a goal? The Bobble Gods had other ideas, and took their mischievous intervention into a new dimension when they somehow produced a bobble in mid-air. The Leeds man screwed his volley into the ground from where it hit post and bar before bouncing out. The work of the Lord of Bobble is never done it would seem, and as Abbott aimed a fly-kick at the loose ball another curious bounce found him skying the ball over the bar from the 'Brown spot'. One could almost hear the almighty chortling up above.

To rub salt into the wound, Radnor were quickly up the other end of the field where they added another goal to complete Logica's thoroughly miserable morning. An 8-2 defeat was sadly not undeserved, and Logica need to bounce back quickly if they are to resurrect a promotion challenge which seemed so credible after last week's win. Radnor were a good side, but far from invincible, and exactly the kind of team Logica need to be beating if they are to mount such a challenge. They face Everyman next Sunday at the Stade d'Ilea, and it is essential that lessons are swiftly learned, and three points taken against a team whom we beat 2-0 on the opening day of the season.