A miserable Monday - but at least we have the Haldon Gold Cup to look forward to

Monday evening wasn't a particularly enjoyable one for Exeter City fans like me as the Grecians went down 4-2 to arch rivals Plymouth Argyle – but it wasn't all doom and gloom.

The rain lashing down at Home Park meant that Devon was getting a soaking, just in time for Friday's Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter, which was in danger of being lost owing to a lack of rain this autumn.

The fixture's traditional slot on a Tuesday invariably came immediately after the Melbourne Cup, a race that people insist stops a nation but has never stopped me sleeping. I have always been far more preoccupied with the handicap chase on the edge of the A38 than the Flat handicap staged on the other side of the world.