You may remember that, in January, I was all set to make my first trip to Brighton’s less-than-palatial Withdean Stadium before the snow put paid to that little jaunt.

The fact that the game was rearranged for a Tuesday night meant my chance of achieving one of my lifelong ambitions of standing in the cold watching third division football, three miles from the pitch in a dilapidated athletics stadium was scuppered for another year.

But, still, at least my dream lives to fight another day.

Hopefully, the Brentford team will also live to fight another day despite the 3-0 mauling they received at the hands of Gus Poyet’s charges.

As I wasn’t there to witness the carnage, I am not in a position to criticise too strongly, but it is very strange that we can’t shake our annoying habit of playing well against League One’s big guns, then capitulating pathetically whenever we come up against one of the division’s lesser lights.

Saturday’s game against play-off hopefuls McDons was a case in point. Had it not been for a couple of silly mistakes and some dreadful refereeing, the Bees would have won comfortably.

Franchise manager Paul Ince wasn’t exactly a loveable fella in his playing days and he appears to have created a team in his own image, with referee Mick Russell allowing our opponents to employ the kind of roughhouse tactics that would have made President Ahmadinejad proud.

The McDons should have had at least two players sent off but Russell proved weaker than a cup of my Dad’s tea.

When he finally got round to brandishing a few yellows, it was way too late and, besides, Ince seemed to be adopting the quite extraordinary tactic of subbing off any player who got booked, thereby ensuring he had 11 players on the pitch at all times who could continue kicking anything that moved.

I had to check the fair play table to ensure I wasn’t starting to go soft and, surprise, surprise, it’s the franchise scumbags at the bottom of the pile.

They have amassed a staggering 100 yellow cards so far this season, while their nearest competitors for the title of League One’s dirtiest team, have received 33 fewer bookings. That statistic says it all.

As if there weren’t enough reasons to hate the McDons, with their plastic fans and odious chairman Peter Winkelman, now we have to add their horrific style of play and snarling manager to that ignominious list.