Or, as the mistress said to the poet, "From bed to verse."  But that`s how things went for this beleaguered football follower, driven to the point of despair once again as `his` teams performed with varying degrees of disappointment yesterday.

I`ll start with Southampton.   Now I don`t mind losing - I`m used to that - but what is particularly irksome is the manner of a defeat.   Yesterday the Saints were not only holding the European Champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge but were very much in the game at 1-1 until the 81st minute when hitherto angelic captain James Ward Prowse was shown the red card for the first time in over six years following an awkward tackle on a Chelsea opponent.   That changed things and Saints ended up on the wrong end of a  3-1  scoreline.  I have no complaints about that - it`s just another disappointment.  Thank goodness the `international break` is now with us - it might give me time to cheer up a bit.

Elsewhere things didn`t get any better.  Maidstone entertained Dartford in a local FA Cup derby but lost 3-0 to the league leaders.   Fort William, who are playing all their home games away from home this season due to a dodgy pitch at Claggan Park deemed not fit for purpose, made the 200 mile journey to Wick Academy but lost again - this time 3-1 at Wick`s Harmsworth Park.  Neighbourhood watch has produced the possibility that my neighbour went to Priestfield yesterday, if so he will also be disappointed at the Gills 2-0 home defeat by Wigan.  

The combined forces of Stoke Gabriel and Torbay Police went to table topping Okehampton Argyle only to lose 4-1 but it seems that they, like Fort William, are at least avoiding the drubbings of previous campaigns.   As for Truro City, another nine hours on the coach doing the 460 mile round trip to Farnborough in Hampshire only to come away empty handed following a 2-0 defeat.   So far, so unproductive.

The one and only bright spot on this gloomy horizon came from Brechin City who seem to be getting used to life in the Scottish Highland League.  Yesterday Buckie Thistle were the visitors to Glebe Park in a game which pitched two highly placed sides against each other with Brechin emerging with a 3-2 win to keep them in third place in the table.  And the hedge at Glebe Park just gets better too - I wish mine looked like that......