It's a funny old game

It's not been a good week for our household football-wise. Late goals have crushed us. All the ones in the Premier League went against Liverpool, particularly at Anfield where the snow sluiced down and even Captain Fantastic couldn't save the mighty reds their position at the top of the table.

And it all came down to an 87th minute goal by an Australian - blatantly not pictured. I still believe, however. Liverpool will rise again to the top of the table.

Meanwhile, Him Outdoors is devastated. The highs and lows of football supporting have never been so graphically illustrated as this semi-final of the Carling Cup.

Even the Guardian drew a prophetic parallel - "Four-one up and coasting towards a final date with Manchester United, Spurs were left bedraggled as Owen Coyle's emerging Burnley team produced a comeback that, in Turf Moor folklore at least, will be compared to Liverpool's miracle in Istanbul in 2005 as the Championship club took their wealthy Premier League visitors to extra-time and were within two minutes of going to Wembley."

He thought they couldn't and then he thought they could, and then he thought they couldn't, and then... Well all this thinking was quite exhausting and the result was not the one he wanted. After sending euphoric messages at the end of 90 minutes, he was reduced to shell-shocked grief by 120. He had practically booked his plane ticket home but this little claret and blue engine simply couldn't.

He is proud but he is gutted - so near... 'We've never made the final' he whispered and there is nothing I can say. I really don't know how he feels - my team will pick themselves up and carry on. All I know is that it hurts. 'The poor little town, how are they going to come back from that?' he asked. Fortunately he wasn't expecting an answer. Bill Shankly could probably have given him one.

So for Burnley supporters everywhere, I'm thinking of you. It was a great story while it lasted, but the Hollywood ending was not to be.