That’s a paltry 81 for this season but a more impressive 5,213 all told.

The preferred Saturday choice for "The Barber" had been the FA Vase tie at Hailsham. Off. Then it was a Sussex Intermediate Cup tie at Willingdon. Off.

A call to Lewes, due to be at home to Weston Super Mare in a league game, confirmed it was on and I was on my way to "The Dripping Pan". It was a dry, bright day and the pitch there looked to be in more or less perfect condition.

Lewes is such an interesting town, almost medieval in parts. Narrow cobbled streets, creaking old buildings and you just know it has a lot of "history". I expect they burnt a lot of witches there; probably still do the odd one or two.

I saw my first match there in 1966, less than a month after we’d won the World Cup. They beat Aylesbury United with a second-minute goal in the old Athenian League.

With the cover behind one goal and a brand new stand the ground has been transformed. But it’s still in that natural bowl, where monks from the adjacent Cluniac Priory are said to have sifted for salt several centuries ago. On Saturday, as in ’66, "The Rooks" were able to celebrate an early goal.

It was an "own goal" of the comical variety. A Lewes free-kick chipped in from the right wing was destined for the forehead of Weston’s substantial centre-half.

In space on the edge of the six-yard box he inexplicably turned to head the ball into his own net. It would’ve been a textbook goal for a striker and no one could quite believe that he’d done it – including him.

Lewes went on to win 4-2 but Super’s second goal, a 25-yarder into the corner when I was hovering near the exit, was definitely the best of the afternoon.

There was a minute’s silence before kick-off for the two local fire-fighters who had perished during the week and eerily there wasn’t the slightest sound. Even the rooks on nearby trees suddenly stopped their squawking.

The sign outside The Saffrons on Sunday, another dry day, said "ALL MATCHS (sic) OFF".

I remember the days when professional matches were susceptible to postponements in winter but what we used to call "amateur" matches would always be played.

It’s almost the other way round now and, on that basis, I went along to Brisbane Road last night.

During the day one of the Orient players had said there was going to be "a massive carrot".

It could’ve have been a reference to the fact that the winners would play Southampton at home – but I took my camera just in case and, sure enough, there was an eight-foot carrot on the pitch.