....Well, it was for the players and officials of Brechin City yesterday.   They made the almost 500 mile round trip all the way to Stranraer on Scotland`s south west extremity but sadly came away with nothing.   Yet another 2-0 defeat leaves the `City` firmly rooted at the bottom of Scottish League Two.  But at least they retain the individuality of being the only football league club with a glorious hedge defining its boundary.  Trouble is, a drop down to the Highland League will see even longer journeys to places like Wick Academy and our old friends Fort William.  Here`s a picture of the hedge at Glebe Park......

In the only other midweek footy news, Forest Green Rovers travelled the 280 miles to Mansfield and back only to manage `a goalless draw - the score  being 0-0` - to quote David Coleman.  It leaves them still in the top three in League Two but it`s all getting a bit tight at the top.  Scott Wagstaff, our street`s iconic midfield dynamo, took a turn on the bench for Rovers in last night`s encounter at Field Mill, where Mansfield manager Nigel Clough is producing impressive results following his recent appointment.   Wagstaff is clearly being rested and saved for the challenging fixtures that lie ahead as Rovers` grasp on promotion could do with a little attention.

My concern today is the news that no less than seven Southampton players are now away on long and winding roads of their own following international call-ups.  We will have players playing in far flung places such as Mali, Japan, South Korea and Mongolia in the next week or two.  I just hope they all return unscathed and ready for the six pointer against Burnley in a couple of weeks time. It`s mad - whatever happened to lockdowns?  Why can`t World Cup qualifiers be decided over games played virtually?