Like one of those comedy athletes running the London marathon in an inflatable dinosaur costume, Logica are limping slowly towards the finishing line in what is most definitely not a sprint. could only raise ten men for this fixture against fifth-placed Spectra, who showed no mercy at all. Despite some brave resistance (particularly in the face of a howling first half gale), Logica still ended up going down by five goals to nil, and dropped into the relegation zone for the first time this season.

The situation could have been worse, believe it or not. Had it not been for last minute responses from and to 's desperate eleventh hour plea, Logica would not have had enough players to play the game. Even then, (runny nose) and (hamstrung) would not have been deemed available for selection in normal circumstances, and as the latter's injury deteriorated, Logica effectively played the second half with just nine men.

The question will arise in some quarters as to whether it is worth playing a match in such circumstances. Even ignoring the financial penalty that would have been incurred by conceding, we would still whole-heartedly argue that it was right to play the game. The club's high reputation with the Sportsman's League has been built in part on fulfilling our fixtures even when we are struggling to raise a team, and is something we should be proud of. It would be far easier to give up and spend the spring's remaining Sunday mornings under the duvet, but that is not how things should be done. Those who turned up yesterday could be proud of the battling display they put in, and, without getting too dramatic, keeping the club alive.

duly lost the toss, and Logica were sentenced to playing the first half against a force eleven gale. The application was impressive, however, and to a man the home side gave no quarter even though it was a struggle to kick the ball more than a few yards into the wind. and led by example in the middle of the park, scrapping for possession at every turn, and trying so diligently to keep it whenever it came their way.

It was a testament to Logica's efforts that it took more than twenty minutes for the increasingly frustrated eleven men of Spectra to take the lead, and then only courtesy of a goalkeeping error. Admittedly, the quick snap-shot on the turn from the edge of the box was hit hard and true, but stand-in keeper did the hard part in reacting quickly and leaping to his right, but having got his right hand to the ball he should really have kept it out [0-1].

It was disappointing to go behind in such a manner after working so hard, and worse followed with a second goal not long after. The tricky left winger did the damage as he reached the bye-line and pulled back a cross that Spectra's anticipating centre forward headed home gleefully from point blank range [0-2].

The pundits may have feared that the floodgates would open now, but to their credit Logica fought back and somehow managed to batten down the hatches. had not played a domestic match in over a year, but reminded everyone of his quality with some trade-mark last ditch tackles that were timed to perfection, as well as a miraculous header to clear a cross from under his own bar. As the interval approached, also redeemed his earlier mistake with a quite brilliant save. A Spectra forward found himself clear with only the Logica keeper to beat, but his low wind-assisted drive found flinging himself to his left to somehow tip the ball around the post at full-stretch.

The second half at least brought Logica some relief from the elements. But with heroically playing on despite his hamstring rendering him pretty much immobile, the home side simply didn't have the numbers to take advantage of the wind and apply any concerted pressure. Goal-kicks, for example, which Logica had struggled to get more than twenty yards outside their own box in the first half, were simple for Spectra as their goalie had a choice of two or three defenders to play a short pass to.

The visitors in fact seemed happier playing against the wind. All those passes that had sailed over the bye-line in the first half, now held up in the wind and found their targets. Within ten minutes a ball over Logica's last defender did just that, leaving Spectra's forward free to bear down on goal and smash a shot over the helpless and into the roof of the net [0-3].

Although Logica spent more time in the Spectra half, visiting counter-attacks now looked far more threatening and breaks down either flank yielded two simple close range finishes [0-5]. stopped a seemingly certain sixth with a brilliant recovery tackle after stubbing his foot on a goal-kick, and made a brave block at the far post as Spectra looked about to add another. But it wasn't until the final seconds that Logica created a chance worthy of note, as the excellent slipped the ball past the last defender and fired just the wrong side of the post as the wind threatened to take the ball away from him.

Worse news followed as the players reached the sanctuary of the heated Stade dressing rooms. Kew Green had again conceded a match, this time against bottom club Welham Athletic. And to double Logica's misery, Welham had won a rearranged match against Old Sergeant 5-3 to claim six points from a profitable morning's work and nip ahead of Logica in the table by merit of having scored more goals. A complete mare of a morning was only averted when news came through that our other relegation rivals, Lansdown, had narrowly failed to earn themselves any points as they fell 3-4 to promotion-chasing Fulham. Logica now need to get something from a double-header against the same opponents in a fortnight's time, although 's first task will be to assemble eleven fit players.