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I spent most of Tuesday watching old blokes walk around the pitch shaking their heads, sometimes in the rain, and sometimes not. This was followed by the on-off pitch inspection including the referee. I used to be indecisive but nowadays of course I’m just not so sure...

All's well that ends well, a treat to get the game on, and the pitch stood up to it well, although whether the poor buggers trying to fix it up the next day would agree is a different matter. Still, no doubt it was playable, and a very decent spectacle for the just about alright attendance was provided. Just about alright is true though, not really any sign yet again of any enthusiasm for non league football from the good people of the City of Sunderland. Funny place, Sunderland, and funny people to be fair, and I speak as one of them, formerly. By and large the overriding emotion of my good people is a downbeat assumption in all situations that something else will go wrong soon enough, and best not get too excited, and the key thing is to identify all possible problems, however unlikely, as soon as ever you can, and emphasise them religiously. Unlike the Mags who assume whatever the results, they are in fact on a par with Barcelona, except a bit sharper. My old man used to say that with most people in Sunderland if you gave them a gold bar they would ask indignantly "how on earth they were supposed to carry that home?”. Understandable maybe, but it can’t have been like that all the time. When Sunderland was growing from nothing through the 19th century it must have been full of optimists, digging pits and building ships and what have you. Ancient history now though, we will just have to stick with the miserable b*****ds for the foreseeable future.

Jordan Harkess suffered a broken jaw in the FA Vase match against Tadcaster Albion. During the match on Tuesday he received treatment after a collision with a Tadcaster forward but was able to carry on. It was subsequently discovered that he had broken his jaw and will undergo surgery on Thursday. All at SRCA wish him a speedy recovery.

The 4:30 pitch inspection for the rearranged FA Vase Third Round match against Tadcaster Albion has been positive and the match is on.

The draw for the 4th round of the FA Vase was drawn today, Sunderland RCA or Tadcaster Albion will be at home to Sleaford Town. Match to be played on 9th January 2016.