With Peter Brackley, broadcaster and Albion fan.

Watching the Sky Sports News team positively salivating over “breaking news” of one potential deadline day signing to then virtually losing the will to live as another one fell through - it was hard to remember sometimes that there would actually be football matches to enjoy at the end of the transfer shenanigans.

“Where did YOU watch deadline day?” demanded one excited presenter, as if this momentous event was now on a par with the 1966 World Cup final, London Olympics Super Saturday and the moon landings rolled into one.

Did the Sky presenters think thousands of flag-waving street parties had been rocking since the early hours? Or perhaps that we’d all flocked to the beach to watch the “drama” unfold on giant screens as Burton Albion revealed the small print on Elliott Hodge’s earth-shattering short-term switch from Notts County?

When the transfer curtain fell at the earlier than usual time of 5pm - ending a daily saga of gossip, rumours of Mike Ashley wanting to buy future Newcastle players with House of Fraser gift vouchers and ultimately fruitless Interpol searches for a central defender prepared to play for Moaninho at Man United rather than have his finger nails removed - Sky Sports chief cheer-leader Jim White had his pay-off line ready.

“As Ken Dodd would have said after one of his evening shows,” bellowed Jim, who could get excited over two flies just sitting on a wall let alone ascending one, “at least we’re going home in daylight.”

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Sounds as if Albion could have played until well after sunset before making serious inroads at Watford, with a shocked Chris Hughton admitting his team were clearly “second best”.

No excuses from the manager about new players needing to bed in as only Bernardo started, and the Seagulls will need to sharpen up quickly if we’re to climb the Match Of The Day running order, let alone the league table.

So there’ll be much concern among home fans preparing for United’s visit, even though, having listened tearfully to Jose’s summer tales of woe, I’d half expected his club either to have disbanded by now or amalgamated with Salford City.

Mind you, with Albion supporters in full voice, there’ll be no hiding place in the technical area for the Enigmatic One - whether he’s wearing his snazziest suit or trendiest burqa.

Then, the weekend after, it’s back to Anfield, where we’ll hope to avoid another constant pounding from Liverpool. Or “self defence” as they call it down Bristol way.

I wrote last week of commentating veterans John Motson and Martin Tyler still hanging onto their mics like Panamanian defenders to Harry Kane’s England shirt, and another former broadcasting colleague, John Helm, is going strong, too, at 76, after covering yet another World Cup.

Much-loved “Helmy” is not only known as the man who once recited the 92 English League clubs in 26 seconds (editor’s note: “Why would he WANT to?” Peter: “Probably easier than the Polish ones”) but also as the debutant BBC Radio 2 reporter so worried about his first line, he practised it relentlessly to himself while nervously awaiting his cue.

“The big news,” he muttered over and over again,” is that Viv Anderson has passed a fitness test.”

Suddenly he heard the linkman say “ let’s get the latest from John Helm.”

“The big news,” John blurted, “ is that Viv Anderson has p-ssed a fatness test.”