[Double header match: see report of the second match.]

The season has continued to descend into farce. Logica had yet again found themselves without a game for a month, and now had to raise a team to play 120 minutes of football in a double-header that would go a long way to deciding their season's outcome.

Welham meanwhile found themselves bottom of the table after both the Danes and Portman Arms had thrown in the towel. Like Logica, they had suffered in the subsequent expungement process, and had been left with just a solitary point, five behind Lansdown and six behind Logica. If Logica succumbed to two defeats, the farce of a season might quickly turn into tragedy.

It is perhaps no surprise that the erratic distribution of fixtures has left increasingly struggling to raise a team. Despite the importance of this pair of matches, found himself unable to call upon the services of , , , and the suspended amongst many others. More bad luck followed when somewhat selfishly cried off at the eleventh hour due to the early birth off his first child (Many congratulations to Mr and Mrs Fazel – we cannot bring you news yet on whether it was a boy or a girl, the latest reports suggest the youngster is still arguing with the doctor's decision... Ed).

On the plus side, two young hopefuls were called up from Thursday night training: debutante , and who had made his first appearances in the previous double-header. There was more good news when was able to make himself available at the last minute, whilst the injured agreed to don the gloves. was immediately rewarded for his sacrifices by being asked to play centre-half.

The pre-match game plan was clear: Logica needed to win at least one of the morning's matches if they were to keep some reasonably safe distance between themselves and their opponents. , returning for his first game since October after breaking an arm, articulated the reality for most of his match-practice-lacking team-mates when he urged "Let's make it the first game lads, because I don't think I'll last much longer!"

Logica kicked off in the first half playing uphill into a strong breeze. Welham were up for the battle, having clearly identified this as a good chance of rescuing their season, and dominated the early proceedings. The conditions made the long wind-assisted hoof a dangerous proposition and Logica's makeshift back four had their work cut out. One such lump bounced over everyone leaving the Welham number ten in the clear, but managed to palm his attempted lob wide of the post.

After his colleague had blazed a similar chance wastefully high, a neat move from Welham sent their number 10 clear once more. Bearing down on goal with plenty of time to pick his spot, he fired low towards the near post only to see get down surprisingly quickly to block, before grateful clutching the loose ball. Much of the stand-in keeper's technique was unconventional to say the least, but for the time being it was proving effective.

Slowly, Logica battled their way back into the game. had quickly settled into his unfamiliar role, and his alert reading of the game enabled him to mop up some dangerous attacks with some shrewd anticipation. , and were also getting stuck in, and very little got past any of them. was making his presence felt on both flanks, showing a cool head and an eye for a good pass when possession came his way. And the old partnership of and was starting to win the midfield battle, earning themselves a little time and space in which to prompt some Logica attacks with their perceptive passing.

As the half wore on, Logica looked the more likely to score. Some concerted pressure on the opposition forced mistakes and was played in on the left. His low shot was hit cleanly enough, and the Logica fans in the Allotments Stand on the far side began celebrating prematurely when they saw the net ripple. Unfortunately the ball had only hit the outside of the flapping side-netting.

It was the Logica players who mistakenly thought they had the lead minutes later, and indeed they should have. More pressure caused panic in the Welham box, and one of their defenders handled. The ball fell to who this time found the back of the net via the right side of the post. For some reason Welham's substitute linesman raised his flag, and quite inexplicably the referee (the same man who had red carded in Logica's previous game) awarded a free kick for offside as the Logica players celebrated. As debated at some length with the man in the black, it was either a penalty for hand-ball, or a goal, for can not have been offside with the ball coming off a Welham player.

With a strong sense of injustice, not to mention the wind and the slope in their favour, Logica kept the pressure up after the turn-around. Clear-cut chances were few and far between but a succession of corners and free-kicks dangerously delivered by did come close to giving Logica the lead. First headed a beautifully arced corner just wide at the back stick, before a clump of players contrived a divert a perfectly flighted free-kick similarly wide once more.

But with just fifteen minutes left, the decisive break-through came from a rarely trod path, the one they call Route One. The old keeper's thigh-knack had forced the uncomplaining to take all the goal-kicks, whilst had been hitting his drop-kicks left-footed. Now he caught one just right, the ball sailing over a back-pedalling Welham rear-guard. was alive to the situation and quickly latched onto the bouncing ball, hitting it almost perfectly on the volley so that it flew low and true past the flailing dive of the Athletic keeper and just inside the far post [1-0] - a brilliant strike, worthy of saving a season.

Predictably Welham threw everything into their search for an equaliser. Logica held firm more through calm heads than their tiring legs, and also earned themselves a little luck. and produced some beautifully timed last ditch tackles, whilst one Welham effort pinged back off a post before being scrambled clear. Welham's Dwayne Leverock-alike substitute had a point blank effort tipped wide by showing some sharp reactions, before Welham's other striker was unlucky to see an acrobatic over-head kick from eight yards crash onto, and over, the bar.

With time running out, Logica's old heads played the percentages, keeping possession and sending the ball into the corners. made one such selfless run into the left channel and was able to pick him out. But rather than run the clock down, had different ideas, and executed a quite brilliant turn that completely bamboozled his shadow. As the Logica number nine burst away from his man and into the box, a desperately flailing boot upended him unceremoniously, and even our erratic arbiter had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.

Despite his supposedly badly injured thigh, goalkeeper could now be seen sprinting the length of the pitch towards the scene of the crime. Logica's penalty taker was not about to let the small matter of a pair of gloves stop him from fulfilling his responsibilities [Or from stealing the glory?! Ed], and had the ball in his hands before his colleagues could express their concerns about what might happen if the kick was saved or hit the woodwork. had no such doubts, and expertly converted the penalty in time-honoured fashion just inside the post [2-0] before turning to see that most of his colleagues had retreated to their own half just in case the worst happened.

In any event, the referee blew the final whistle before Welham could kick off again, and Logica had achieved their morning's target of three points with a game to spare. They had also, quite miraculously, kept their first clean sheet of the season, a testament to the efforts and application of a makeshift back four. The erratic stand-in gloveman somehow had an assist, a goal, as well as the clean sheet, to show for his hour's work. Anything Logica now claimed from the second match would be a bonus, although looking around at the prostrate bodies gasping for air, the bookies were unlikely to be taking too much cash on a Logica double.