With a football filled Easter weekend lined up, it would have been so much more helpful if Leicester could have secured their promotion a little earlier.

There's nothing worse than fighting a relegation battle against teams who are fighting for glory and need every single point along the way. That the Albion usually does well under these circumstances makes it no easier to predict the outcome and, with the sorry performance against Preston still fresh in the memory, the omens feel a bit mixed at the at the time of writing.

Being one of the match sponsors, I watched the Preston game from the rarefied atmosphere of the North Stand, sitting directly in front of the directors and guests which always makes for an interesting match. And not just for the sponsors, since our annual North Stand Chat-sponsored game has come to be known as "Martin Perry's Match from Hell".

Hilariously described in the programme as the "Albion Internet Debating Forum", this merry band of debating chums can be unpredictable to entertain at the best of times.

Last year we sponsored the game against Notts County and an awful lot of "hospitality" had been consumed before taking our seats. The effects of all this good living were soon apparent in the enthusiastic vocal performance that some sponsors laid on for the edification of the visiting directors and it wasn't long before the chairman and chief executive caught my eye and suggested - in rather graphic sign language - that it would be helpful if sitting down and shutting up could be arranged.

This year, we were rather more restrained and, as we watched two pigeons settle comfortably on the Preston crossbar for most of the second half, it became clear that there wasn't going to be a great deal to shout about. The only person who got totally carried away was Craig Brown who had to be escorted from the dug-out after the referee gave him his marching orders.

Shortly after his sending-off, the Preston fans started to chant "Wee Craig Brown" - or so we thought. It turns out, however, that the excitable Mr Brown had not, in fact, disappeared down the tunnel but had managed to find a way of watching the remainder of the game squashed up behind the barriers. The "prison bars" effect that this produced resulted in the "Free Craig Brown" chant that we'd misheard. Not the height of wit perhaps but it kept the visitors happy.

One of the perks of sponsoring the game is the opportunity to choose the man-of-the-match which was, as always, a bit of a challenge. Having told various players beforehand that it was going to be Richard Carpenter, we ignored our own advice and, by half time, were split between Gary Hart (although one of our number had to be reminded that fancying him something rotten wasn't part of the criteria) and Ivar the Engine. After half-time, "Big Dave" Beasant was a front-runner and was only ruled out after letting in the second goal which left the field clear for Kerry Mayo or Ivar. Kerry, who didn't put a foot wrong, was the final choice although plaintive wailings of "But I wanted Ivar" were still being heard after the announcement. As it happens, Kerry needed medical attention after the game and sent Ivar down to collect the champagne on his behalf, a happy coincidence that cheered the wailers no end.

Our brief moment of notoriety soon faded and normal life in the South Stand has been resumed. Everything is unpredictable, including the chance of getting to Grimsby whose ridiculously low ticket allocation has resulted in a ballot for seats. Waiting to hear the results is yet more tension we could do without just now.

Roz South edits Brighton Rockz fanzine. Email roz@southspark.co.uk