The Gardeners' World Blog

In this job, match afternoons are usually the most enjoyable two hours of the week. All being well, our planning comes to fruition and the running order and script are yet to be written, so we just sit down and watch half a dozen or more games on different screens. In the company of people who've played the game at the highest level.

It's always a privilege, but there's usually a distinction between the old pros calmly dissecting the action and the production team who try, and often fail, to rein in the emotions we feel as armchair fans. Sunday - and Sheffield United v Wigan in particular - was different. No-one who was in the office supports either team, but everyone found themselves cheering, groaning and leaping out of their seats. It was impossible not to be swept away by one of the most extraordinary matches any of us have ever seen. Goodness only knows what it was like for a partisan supporter, or indeed for the managers. No wonder Paul Jewell has subsequently decided to take a break from football!