There's not, you'll have noticed, very much compassion in football these days, so this little ditty we read last week warmed the cockles of our old hearts.

English amateur league side Wimpole 2001 were losing 18-1 to Earls Colne when referee Brian Saville could take no more. What did the big softie do? He controlled the ball from a corner and volleyed it into the back of the net, reducing the arrears and bringing Wimpole right back in to the game. True, he handled before shooting, but he allowed the goal and trotted back to the halfway line. Play resumed, but Earls Colne held on.