Saturday had the makings of a great day. The visitors were Cheltenham who are struggling in League One, and who we always beat! Robbie Savage, the famous ex-Premiership player, was making his Albion debut. It started well! It couldn't have been better. Glenn Murray scored for us in just 45 seconds.

Remember we have yet to win a league game at Withdean this season – but it seemed the fabulous scalp of Manchester City in the Carling Cup would be the catalyst for a winning streak. Another Murray goal arrived just two minutes later – but unfortunately it was Scott Murray for Cheltenham!

The weather was atrocious. It was cold and wet. The crowd was around 6,000 and they bravely endured the conditions in a colourful assortment of plastic ponchos (rather large square bags with a face hole in one corner). With pointy tops it was rather like an open air Ku Klux Klan meeting of the blue and white variety. Actually, the 100 or so Cheltenham fans looked rather sinister in their red versions.

It got better quickly. Murray quickly scored again. It was our Glenn this time, so 2-1 to us – three goals in just seven minutes. If water hadn't been dripping down our necks it would have been party time! So winning comfortably at 45 minutes and in complete control? Oh, no!

Those early half-time cup of tea seekers missed the next Murray goal – a stunning shot in by Scott for the visitors. Another instance of Albion's failure to see out added time.

Not to worry as early in the second half the fifth Murray goal! And it was our Glenn grabbing his hat-trick with a fine header following an accurate cross.

The first league win was ours, the 90 minutes up and just added time to see out. Easy? Savage took the applause as he subbed off for Fraser, job done!

With four minutes added Albion wasted time. I hate this. We had a corner; they took it short but failed to keep possession. Why not go for the match-winning fourth goal? I haven't even mentioned that Cheltenham were down to 10 men, having Payne sent off a few minutes earlier. Everybody was nervous and were right to be. It was the 94th minute; the visitors' 10-men fought on, booted up field and scored! Game over! 3-3.

Depressed and damp. We have yet to win at home in the league, but remain unbeaten away. How silly is that.

Realism says we aren't going to win our league! But we can still win three cups! We have Derby at Withdean on November 4 in the Carling Cup. The FA Cup is yet to get underway. And then there is the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. We won at Withdean on Tuesday night against Leyton Orient to go through to the quarter-final. OK this isn't a highly-rated competition but it could be our route to Wembley!

The game against the O's had a strangely similar turn of events as the magnificent Man City game – without the crowd and atmosphere.

Both our strikers Murray and Forster were missing but Micky Adams's replacements of Adam Virgo and Joe Anyinsah did the job. Virgo slotted away a penalty after just five minutes. Anyinsah scored a great second.

So two 2-0 and cruising? Wrong! It was back to the jitters and finding it impossible to close out games. Orient scored on 21 minutes and 72. Happily no extra time but straight into penalties. Finally it got exciting.

Orient were first up and their number one fired well over Michel Kuiper's bar! Time for our new Seagull Savage to show his pedigree? Robbie's side-footed attempt was well saved. There followed five perfect penalties so 3-2 to Orient. Up steps our penalty scorer in the game, Roy-of-the-Rovers Adam Virgo and he sees his shot well saved.

That surely meant the game would go to Orient. Adam troops off – but wait – that nice referee's assistant is waving his flag. The O's keeper had moved off his goal line too early. Jubilation and a yellow card for the protesting keeper. Adam steps up and crashes the retake into the net. The cheers increased as Kuipers saves Orient's fifth penalty. The final tension was reserved for Adam El-Abd. He did it against Man city and he slotted home the perfect penalty to give Albion the tie 5-4 on penalties.

Finally a few words on the stadium. It was mixed news when the announcement came out that effectively the Falmer Stadium was being put back another year.

Kick-off is now August 2011. It was a bitter pill to swallow for our long-suffering fans. The sweetener was the positive news that the club has announced the Buckingham Group have been appointed as the contractors. They did the MK Dons stadium which has been praised.

Work will start on widening Village Way before the year is out. The stadium will be built and the monies are not going to be a problem despite the credit crunch. The actual completion is only delayed for six months so the stadium should be finished in 2010 but the decision has been made to move there for the start of the 2011 season.

We waited this long so we can wait slightly longer.

It should be worth the wait.