I've been covering the fortunes of Brighton and Hove Albion on the radio for five years.

I've lost count of the amount of times I've arrived home from an away match just after 11pm wanting nothing more than to finish the day off with a nice pint of lager.

Unfortunately, although the George and Dragon in Tarring is a mere stone's throw away from my front door, our archaic licensing laws mean we can only drink in pubs when the authorities allow us, not when we would like to.

It is ironic that, at this time of year when we remember the exploits of "The Few" in the Battle of Britain, the stark reality is that, although we won the war, it's the former members of the Luftwaffe who can enjoy a beer at midnight while our brave veterans are thrown out of their pubs an hour before.

The laws need changing and, although this government does have bigger fish to fry - health, education and, law and order - let's hope it is not long before common sense prevails.

Some critics say the downside to longer opening hours could be an escalation of our yob culture.

They argue that a number of pubs in Worthing have enough problems closing at 11pm and letting unruly youths carry on drinking would only lead to more trouble.

But why should we have our freedoms curtailed because of a drunken few?

I'm fed up with the minority spoiling things for the majority.

Perhaps the answer is simply for each pub's case to be taken on its merits.

Hopefully, the next time I return from an Albion game in Barnsley, there will a glistening pint of lager waiting on the bar for me - no matter how long it takes me to get back.

Worthing Theatres' autumn brochure dropped on my mat at the weekend and I was pleasantly surprised to see what is coming to the town's stages in the next few months.

Credit where credit is due, theatres manager Peter Bailey and administrator David Smith have put together a programme catering for most tastes and and well within the budgets of most people.

In previous years the council has been criticised for not doing enough to get bums on seats but that charge no longer stands up.

Laughter can indeed be the best medicine and I'm especially looking forward to going to watch three legends of stand-up comedy, Jim Davidson, Bernard Manning and Jimmy Tarbuck.

Another highlight should come early in the New Year when Jimmy Greaves, one of the finest goalscorers this country has ever produced, comes to the Pavilion.

Although I doubt he or she can read, here is a message to the lowlife who stole my son's new football boots from our porch.

I hope you are very proud of yourself for upsetting an eight-year-old boy and taking something he saved up and paid for himself.

Maybe I was naive leaving the boots outside but, then again, I still have a slight, if receding, faith in human decency and assumed no one could be that heartless. More fool me.