Miserable. But then I suppose that was to be expected. It was Slough. In the rain. And not even Slough proper, but some dismal suburb. And not just the kind of rain that pitter-patters gently on the rooftops. But the kind that crawls beneath your clothing like maggots. Worming its way everywhere, sucking out the soul like a day on the London underground.

Initially Mill Hill rode the storm, like a small gang of hardy pirates, launching raids against the complacent opposition and even going ahead through the usual source. But gradually they got drawn into the mele, getting squeezed and trapped in the congested midfield.

Slough were given a soft equalizer and managed to built a lead through some efficient counter attacks. Mill Hill responded by getting into the Halloween spirit. Pete Lazlet, ghostlike flitted about the midfield, working his mischief without ever getting caught. Nick Warr, more like the headless horseman, ploughed his way through the opposition, leaving a trail of terror in its wake. And the tactic would have worked, if some of the defending hadn’t been distinctly zombie-like.

A couple of horror shows left the visitors trailing 3-1 at half time. But buoyed up by five minutes of standing around in the evil rain, Mill Hill again turned up the pressure, creating chances and striking the post. Back-from-the-dead Martain Teo in goal haunted the Slough forwards, smothering them with his eerie presence whenever they dared venture into his sacred circle. His curse caused them to miss a penalty flick, but as All Saints’ day neared began to wear off. Slough scored twice more to produce a flattering scoreline that was neither a flood of goals, nor a white wash, just a miserable drenching.