Wednesbury 1, Brixton 3. It was a start to the season that provided ample evidence of our continuing inability to manage a lead, though in this instance, the lead was a fleeting hallucination.

The first half was a study in sterility until the 32nd minute, when Gideon Bagshawe produced an open-play finish that served as a cold reminder of the gap between our defensive organisation and Brixton’s clinical nature. It was a goal that settled the nerves of the visitors while ensuring the home crowd spent the interval discussing the quality of the overpriced pies.

There was a brief, delusional period of optimism following the 57th minute, when Josimar Brejeiro found the net in open play to level the score. It was a goal that suggested a shift in momentum, or perhaps just a momentary lapse in Brixton’s concentration, which led the more hopeful sections of the terrace to believe we had actually found a way forward.

The record, however, shows that such hope is usually a tactical error. In the 77th minute, Valentín Múgica-Olano converted a penalty to restore the lead, an event that effectively deflated the stadium and returned us to our natural state of quiet resignation. The pattern was completed in the 83rd minute when Terence Pinkerton added a third in open play, a goal that functioned less as a victory lap and more as a formal notification that the contest had ended some time ago.

“One of the stewards spent several minutes trying to fix a broken plastic chair during the final whistle, which felt like the most productive piece of labour on display.”

We finished the match with eleven men, which is technically a success, although the distance between our midfield and the Brixton goal remained an insurmountable geographical hurdle for the duration of the afternoon. One of the stewards spent several minutes trying to fix a broken plastic chair during the final whistle, which felt like the most productive piece of labour on display.

The focus now shifts to the next fixture, where we shall undoubtedly attempt to avoid a similar collapse.