Certainly was. I have always wondered what the true effect of having someone like Crabbeman on the pitch really is. He was loud and positive on Sunday, each time we went behind all you could hear was him screaming encouragement - and it's always encouragement. You certainly can't say that nobody else would have been up for it if he wasn't there doing it, but he was anyway, and rarely (if ever) gives any less.

For me, psychology is a major factor in Sunday league football and Crabbeman is a big asset for us in that department. It was a pleasure to watch their player get sent off on Sunday. Not that I would encourage anyone to deliberately wind another player up to the point where you get elbowed, but that player was not a bad player at all and yet he couldn't handle it. Crabbeman never deliberately hurt him but he was 110% competitive and could handle being deliberately elbowed without reacting, whereas there player, who'd scored 2 goals already that game, couldn't handle being tackled (particularly a tackle on him as he scored - what a prick) so he went looking for Crabbeman and ended up off the pitch. You can be as good a player as you like but if you're stood giving people abuse from the sidelines and telling your mates how hard you are then you're no use to anyone. Crabbeman wins.

Not sure I've ever seen him lose in those little personal battles on the pitch. He can stop skillful players just as well as he can stop total cocks. If everyone else was half as loud we'd never go more than a goal behind.

Next week; "Kirkham. What's that about?"