A trip to Reading's stunning Madejski stadium is always something to look forward to.

But it would have been an even better treat if the game hadn't been moved to the Friday night because of Sky TV's decision to cover it.

The television revenue can't be sniffed at and, for anyone unable to get to Reading, there's more chance of seeing the game.

But it doesn't alter the fact that a proper Saturday has been a very long time coming.

This sorry situation wasn't helped by the decision to switch our encounter with the Palace to midweek.

With two Saturday afternoons in a row without a game, and still a week to wait until we meet Preston North End at Withdean, some fans are none too pleased about the implications that these empty hours may have on the Home Front.

Already there is much grizzling about the possibility of being dragged around shops before being dragged home to mow grass during those sacrosanct hours which any right thinking person knows should normally be set aside for the Beautiful Game.

I've always wondered why anyone should get excited about the chance to drag an unwilling partner around the shops since shopping is a desperate enough experience without any additional aggravation.

As far as desperation is concerned, it must be on a par with taking an unwilling and uninterested person along to the football.

A mistake which, if made in the cause of true love, or more likely true lust since the unbearable idea of being parted for 90 minutes is usually confined to the very early stages of a relationship, can be one of the quickest ways to end a potentially beautiful friendship. Mainly because you can't be half-hearted about the game and you either love it or hate it.

A perfect example of this was recently shown by Norman Baker, MP for Lewes, who now surely holds the current record for the most outrageous statement made at a public inquiry.

Having popped down to the seaside to speak out against the stadium, he admitted that he hadn't overloaded his brain by actually reading the application first.

Not that this stopped him delivering plenty of Parliamentary style guff whilst leading up to delivering a distinctly non-Parliamentary gaffe when he confirmed that he would rather see the football club go out of business than see a stadium built at Falmer.

A response that has seen the name of Norman Baker added to the roll call of "Enemies of the Albion" so far as the fans are concerned.

In fairness, Mr Baker has never professed any liking for the game but he has certainly demonstrated, beyond doubt, his utter contempt for what the game means to the community.

Which is what makes his statement all the more intolerable. Mr Baker's political career was built by putting community needs first and he rapidly rose to fame in the House of Commons as the MP who asked more questions in one term than anyone else had managed in the whole history of modern democracy.

Representing a party whose success in Lewes District has been based on the motto of "Putting Dog Poo Before Dogma" he's also done no favours to his Liberal Democrat colleagues who've just started campaigning for the local elections in May.

Neither has he done any favours to the thousands of stadium supporters living in Lewes District.

It seems that Mr Baker hasn't realised that it's possible to support the Albion even if you live outside the city boundary and this lack of understanding could cost him votes at the next general election.

Roz South edits Brighton Rockz fanzine. Email roz@southspark.co.uk