Fun returns as Arsene’s young Guns run amok in the cottage

AFTER an utterly exhausting week involving a 100-mile daily commute, I was relieved that we only had a short hop to Fulham’s riverside home in west London on Saturday.

Yet even with the bliss of a lie-in, I struggled to haul my bones out of the sack, walk the dog and get out in time to make it to the match. With it already 2.30pm when I headed out past our new stadium, I was half tempted to stop and watch the “beamback” at our place. But with a ticket for the real thing in my pocket, it seemed barmy to pay a further £15 to watch the match, on one of the two giant screens — although I’m curious to know what the atmosphere is like at one of these live broadcasts of away games.

However I wasn’t about to blow out what’s recently become one of the most enjoyable away-days of the season. Sadly I neglected to take into account the fact that the weekend traffic across the capital has become dire. I soon had to come to terms with the fact that I was going to miss the kick-off.