Well, raindrops kept falling on my head yesterday but that doesn`t mean my eyes were turning red, far from it.  The gloom of a miserable dose of Autumn weather was lifted by, yes you`ve guessed it, football.

Now I don`t want to appear unkind but I have to be honest and confess to a bit of an inner smirk when Manchester United get tonked.  And then Liverpool had the wake up call their complacency deserved but then they are Southampton`s tribute team after all, so perhaps not surprising to see them thumped 7-2 at Aston Villa.

As for things closer to my heart, it was encouraging to see the Saints register an impressive performance in beating West Brom 2-0 in front of an empty St. Mary`s.  That`s two wins on the bounce and another clean sheet.  And things got better as the weekend progressed with my neighbour`s beloved Gillingham travelling to Shrewsbury and securing a 1-1 draw thanks to an injury time leveller which left them in the top six in League One.  Over the moon next door, I imagine. 

And in other news, Forest Green Rovers also secured a 1-1 draw against Walsall to maintain their unbeaten league run in a game which saw our local hero Scott ("Pass the quinoa") Wagstaff come on in the second half, again to use his experience and shepherd his newfound team mates over the line.  And they`re dancing in the streets of Truro as the White Tigers banished Hungerford Town from the early stages of the FA Cup with an emphatic 4-0 hammering.

Maidstone United also came through their Cup encounter 1-0 away at Hendon, although the match was marred by unusual, not to say, daft circumstances.  Because of the Covid restrictions, Maidstone were barred from taking any of their supporters from attending the game, although Hendon were allowed to have their own supporters there.  This is because of the bizarre ruling that means supporters from National League sides are banned but not those from leagues lower down.  (I`m sure the virus is aware of these rulings and is behaving accordingly.)

No sign yet of Fort William starting their campaign in the Highland League but that apart it was a pretty satisfactory and satisfying set of results which will bring a week of content to an otherwise befuddled mind.  Can`t complain, to be fair.