The superfan saw Civil Service make progress in the AFA Senior Cup on Saturday, and QPR lose at home in The FA Youth Cup two days earlier, but two other attempts to go to matches proved fruitless.

A blue sky and warmer temperatures encouraged me to watch some football by the Thames on Saturday and I have to say it was all very pleasant. I took the train from Waterloo to Barnes Bridge, crossed the river via the footbridge and was quickly in Dukes Meadow for Civil Service’s AFA Senior Cup Fourth Round tie with Wake Green from Birmingham.

Five football matches and one rugby match were about to be played at that same ground. Civil Service’s first team play in the far right corner and there’s a nice little stand. A few minutes prior to the 1.30 kick-off I heard the visitors’ manager say that they were having a disappointing season. The crowd for this important fixture was six.

On 23 minutes the Civil Service No.7, known to his team-mates as "Giggsy", headed home from a left-wing corner when he was standing about a foot from the goal-line. He immediately ran to the side with a nose bleed. I think you’re supposed to pinch the bridge of the nose for 15 minutes or so, but there was hardly time for that.

I was starting to feel the cold wind behind the goal in the last few minutes of normal time, but consoled myself with the fact that Wake Green didn’t look like equalising and forcing extra time…

I know. It almost goes without saying that the 90th minute saw a 25-yarder whistle into the bottom corner for 1-1. Then, in the fourth minute of stoppage time and literally right in front of me, the Civil Service No.4 lashed the ball high into the net after the ‘keeper had pushed a right-wing cross into the air. Unfortunately the ref had blown for time about two seconds earlier.

The extra half-hour was actually the most entertaining period of the match. Both teams had chances, but Civil Service scored twice in the last five minutes to book their place in this season’s quarter finals. It’s at places like Dukes Meadow that you understand why people call football "the beautiful game".