It’s going to be a bit of an odd blog this week (who said they are all odd?).

For a start, for the first time in a while there has only been one game of football I have managed to see live involving the Boro. With the visit of the Stags from Mansfield, the segregation factor kicked in. I did show a spot of concern when at 12.35pm a helicopter was observed doing a fly past over the Priory Lane stadium, but it would appear it was pure co-incidence!

Bearing in mind the “fun and games” we witnessed last season, it was inevitable that the River End would be occupied by the Yellow and Blues and as the turnstiles opened the gentle throng of visitors started to take their places.

I had been given the task of manning the so-called segregation “Buffer Zone” a kind of no-mans-land to keep the home and away supporters safe! I greeted each and every one of the Nottinghamshire tourists and one group asked if we could go and help steward at their home games. It would appear that the standard of the over officious day glow man is still alive and well in Mansfield (For those of you who are baffled by my comments, its all in the Blog book, copies still available at £3).

In praise of the away fans, many of them cast their minds back to their visit last year and all commented on the fact that a few idiots had spoilt the day, an event that didn’t repeat itself.

The match itself as usual has been well documented so I won’t worry you with any more details. Oh except for the fact that for the second time this season, the referee had to retire hurt and for the second time, it was the same substitute official that took the whistle. A memo to future men in black. Check just who your senior assistant is as he may be the curse of the Priory Lane refs! It is also getting the stage where we need to ensure that there is a qualified official standing around on match days just in case!

The journey home form the Lane always means sports reports on the radio. The main subject of course was the “goal” Sunderland scored to defeat Liverpool. There seemed to be quite a few explanations to the incident, including one where having discovered the goal was deflected off something small and very round in red. Many thought Benitez had in fact recalled Jan Molby. By 10pm that night, Manchester City had put a £40million transfer bid in for the ball with the goalscoring prowess! The biggest kick back we should be worrying about is this. The official that got it oh so wrong at the Stadium of Light will now be put in charge of lower league games as a punishment. Don't we lower league clubs suffer enough?

As I mentioned earlier, there has been a lack of soccer to express an interest in for me this week, as I find myself in a remote village in Derbyshire, working! I did spot some floodlights as I walked to my digs but I have a suspicion they may only be used on high days and holidays! To alleviate the boredom I jumped on a bus to Chesterfield. The drivers up here seem to be very keen on throttle and the braking system is there as an after thought. I wonder what would happen if our first team was driven in a panic to an away fixture... Hang on, Stevenage and a play-off final? It did seem to help them on that day. Well, as I have the honour of taking the team to Tooting and Mitcham this weekend, maybe I have found the solution? While in the city of the “Crooked Spire” I took the opportunity to check out the coach parking facilities at The Spireites’ ground, just in case we visit there in a season or two.

So the long road to Wembley awaits us this Saturday. 90 minutes from a potential money spinner in the first round proper or a potential banana skin? I personally pray for a victory on two counts. I would love us to get beyond this round and pull a big named League team at home and, secondly, I don't want to endure a drive back from South London with raw Scottish expletives ringing in my ears!