I do understand how football can be more important than everything else from past experience. Here is Jim Smith, the new Oxford United manager, near the end of yesterday’s 3-2 defeat by Leyton Orient. Orient celebrated their promotion to League division 1, and Oxford were relegated to the conference league. ‘Gutted!’ is the word I think Jim is portraying here.

As to the Abingdon teams: Abingdon United finished in third place in the Hellenic League Premier division, and Abingdon Town were near the bottom of the same league, but having had a reasonable last few games to get them out of danger of relegation.