The bottom line

The FA's historian and superfan has seen another six matches - at Islington, Yeading, Copland, Fisher, Bedfont and Wembley.

The week began with Tuesday on Tuesday, Old Street Tuesday drawing 3-3 with Notting Hill in the Islington Midweek League's Division One at Market Road. There were no Notting Hill players around at the 6pm kick-off time and the match started 20 or so minutes late. They went a goal down almost immediately, prompting their centre-half to rally the troops with: "We shouldn't have let in a goal. Now let's punish them, let's really mess them up." Yes, right.

There was another second-minute goal on Wednesday evening at The Warren, the Middlesex County League taking an early lead against the Reading Football League in an FA National League System Cup Preliminary Round tie. Reading hit back to win 4-1. I tried to check the name of the MCL scorer with their 'keeper, but he didn't know what it was. Well, being a representative team, they'd only just met up.

The MCL had another of their Saturday morning fixtures at the weekend. It was played at Stonebridge Recreation Ground and featured Copland, just crowned Champions of the Division One Central & East Division, and Sloane. A crowd of 104 in the warm sunshine saw Copland slam in a free kick for a tenth-minute lead and proceed to win 4-1. Loitering by the exit in the last couple of minutes, one chap told me he was going to a match at Bovingdon in the Herts County League that afternoon. I noticed from the paper that the home side had scraped home 11-1.

I still hadn't decided where to go next. I often leave the hotel to go to football without knowing which match I'll be attending. I like to keep my options open.

It turned out to be Fisher Athletic v Hayes & Yeading United in the Conference South. For 'The Fish', already relegated, it was their last match of the season. They were quickly two down and Hayes, who have made it into the play-offs, won 5-0 and missed a hatful of other chances. There was just enough stoppage time to make me miss the train back to town and have to forego the evening Final at Yeading. I also arrived on the platform as the tube was pulling out and there wasn't another one for 15 minutes. If I had a pound for every time that's happened, I'd be a multi-millionaire.

Feltham Cowboys played Hanworth Villa Sunday 'C' in the Chiswick & District Sunday League's Feathers Cup Final at Bedfont on Sunday morning, watched by a healthy crowd of around 200. Some of the women looked especially healthy. Cowboys took the lead through a centre-forward who looks like Peter Crouch and is nicknamed 'Crouchy'. (There may be a connection there.) Villa won 4-1, scoring the fourth at the end of a match that had become quite feisty. To celebrate, their No.11 pulled down his shorts to reveal a bright green 'mankini' made popular by the 'Borat' character. The referee swiftly produced a yellow card. It was all quite colourful.

The afternoon match was only a Semi-Final, but there were 88,141 fans inside the ground. I'd seen seven consecutive matches with five or more goals, so I was definitely due a 0-0 and so it proved.