Keeper comforts

WELL, that was probably the most nervous weekend I've had to endure this season.
Normally it is bad enough keeping your fingers crossed on both hands while trying to type.
But when you're also trying to keep an eye on Sky Soccer Special and the dubious information filtering through from the BBC sport website it gives multi-skilling a whole new dimension.
I reckon it's far easier actually standing on the terraces watching a game than trying to keep track of it via various media outlets when you actually have no clue as to how your team is performing.
It's my fault, I guess, for landing a job in which being able to work Saturdays is a pre-requisite.
Anyway, with my beloved Gas languishing in bottom place at the start of the day it was pretty clear a point was the minimum requirement for what appeared to be a tough trip to Notts County.
Still, as the day wore on I remained hopeful. For a start we weren't 3-0 down within the first 20 minutes and another plus point was that two of our main relegation rivals, Walsall and Yeovil, were both losing.
And things got better when Walsall went 2-0 down at home to Hartlepool, while Yeovil were trailing 2-1 at Exeter to a brace of goals from ex-Gashead Jamie Cureton when half time came.
Still 0-0 at Meadow Lane, though as the second half wore on it appeared we were surviving on our nerves a bit. The little graph on the Beeb which tells you how much possession your team is enjoying had swung to 56-44 in favour of County and every snippit seemed to involve their side laying siege to our goal. (I don't always trust that graph. In the game at Brentford it told me we were having 89 per cent of possession, yet we lost the game 1-0).
The shock came midway through the second half. Suddenly on Sky came a goal flash - Notts County 0 Bristol Rovers 1 (Hoskins). I leapt out of my seat and punched the air, prompting a number of polite inquiries about my sanity and a few cockney drawls of "Siiiiiiddddowwn!"
As time wore on all seemed good on the Gas front.
Mind you, Walsall had somehow fought back and even taken the lead. Yeovil, too, were level now at their local rivals. Even more important for the Gas to hang on to three points.
Then I saw it.
BBC flash: Chris Lines fouls Febian Brandy in the area. Penalty to Notts County.
(It wasn't actually Lines, it was Jeff Hughes, but the Beeb never get much right).
And Yeovil had now gone ahead 3-2.
I waited . . . and waited . . . But part of me actually realised the Gas had survived. Sky Sports always have the news about five minutes before the Beeb website and I hadn't seen a goalflash yet.
Then the Beeb announced: Conrad Logan saves penalty.
Wow!
And we held on. Every second, every minute, of those last 20 minutes seemed like an hour.
My forehead was a mass of worry lines, my palms sweaty, my concentration non-existent.
The final result was now the only thing that mattered.
Rivals Walsall were now 5-2 ahead, Yeovil looked like holding out and other relegation contenders Dagenham and Redbridge and Tranmere were both winning.
Just to hold on to the three points amounted to treading water, but to lose would have been another nail in the coffin.
When the final score came through I swear my heart stopped.
Then calm returned.
The other team in Nottingham 0 Stuart Campbell's Communist Revolution 1
And we fight on!
We may have sacked manager Dave Penney after just 13 games, but we may be thankful to him for one thing in particular come the season's end.
This guy Logan is turning into a Gas legend after just a handful of games.
That's his second penalty save in two matches and though the one against Huddersfield ultimately counted for nothing, this one could make all the difference at the final reckoning.
The goalkeeping shirt at Rovers lately has been used like the prize in a football version of musical chairs.
Previous boss Paul Trollope's decision to rely on loan signings means that we started the season hoping a West Brom reject in Luke Daniels would be our number one.
Then after two days with us in pre-season he got injured and we had to return to Reading with the begging bowl to borrow great Dane Mikkel Andersen to replace him.
But Andersen couldn't play every game because he had international commitments with the Danish Under 21 side so on the odd occasion we had to call up reserve Mike Green.
And when Reading recalled their loanee in January Daniels was fit again to return.
Unfortunately, his confidence didn't stand up to a few heavy beatings in his early games and it was Penney who decided prompt action was needed, going to Leicester to secure Logan's services.
And now the call is going out for our loan star to be enticed to join us on a permanent deal.
Nine games to go. Nine cup finals.
If we escape from the pit we have dug for ourselves we could be calling our journey to safety "Logan's Run".