My four other games in the last week have been Viacom Outdoor v Abbey in the London League (1-5), Bedfont Green v Feltham in the Combined Counties League (1-2), Crystal Palace v Bristol City in The FA Women’s Premier League (2-4) and Warner Bros v Audit Commission in the London League (2-2). I’m now on 52 games for the current season and 4,944 altogether.

At the moment Crystal Palace v Sheffield United at Selhurst Park on 5 November is looking as though it could be my 5,000th. I hope it is, because my first proper game – Palace v Hitchin in The FA Cup First Round – was played on 5 November 1960.

I can remember being taken by my dad and granddad to a pre-season practice match at Gosport in August of that year, a few weeks past my ninth birthday. A four-minute ferry ride from Portsmouth, it was where my grandparents lived for 20 years. The Mayor of Gosport, who knew my granddad, was sitting in the stand and he asked me if I would like to run the line!

Don’t ask. It was a disaster, with some of the players in stitches at the antics of that little boy with the big flag.

Something faintly amusing happened at Saturday’s Cup tie too. The Borough No.10 was lethal in the first half, scoring a hat-trick inside half-an-hour. But seconds after completing the feat he decided to change his boots. Thereafter he failed with every attempt at goal and all his passes went straight to the opposition. There’s probably a moral there somewhere.

Sunday afternoon’s match at Whyteleafe, featuring the women’s teams of Crystal Palace and Bristol City, was nothing if not eventful. Palace were 2-0 up in ten minutes before City took control to equalise with two firm headers from set-pieces before half-time.

About ten minutes into the second period the City No.8 kicked the ball at the same time as a Palace player in midfield and her leg seemed to buckle under the pressure. Immediately I heard words like "stretcher" and "ambulance" being used and feared the worst. One of the Palace coaches confirmed to us sitting in the stand behind the goal that "Holly" had broken her leg.

A paramedic on a motor-bike was quickly on the scene, followed a few minutes later by an ambulance, and play was held up for 48 minutes.

"It’s one of those things that happen in football", I heard the same Palace coach telling his girls in a soothing tone. Then City "won it for Holly" with two goals in the last four minutes.

The FA Cup Preliminary Round is being played this coming weekend and I have my eye on ties on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.