At the mere sniff of the words 'pre-season', I and a few others would jump into life, even going to away games in pursuit of that golden nectar - the nearing of the start of the new campaign.

So there we'd sit, watching a bunch of trialists aimlessly create and over-elaborate, impress and depress. And by the time the first game of the season came around, there might be three or four who were actually good enough to earn themselves a deal.

Surprisingly, it took us a good few years to realise that these matches were really pretty worthless, and barring some odd scattered exceptions I think I have probably only watched three or four live pre-season clashes this decade.

But tonight's offering - so early in the pre-season calendar that it's almost worth going to, just to say, "I was there", holds a strange and somewhat perverse level of attraction.

Checking my fixture list, and popping up as the first pre-season encounter I have clocked this season, the formerly mighty Leicester City, ex-Premiership regulars and Worthington Cup winners, travel to the minnows of Quorn.

Now this is a club who have clocked my attention before, for nothing other than my disbelief that a club could be named after a food-type that resembles all the taste and nutrition of soggy cardboard. But alas no, there is a deeper history; something altogether a bit more meaty.

The club are one of the oldest in Leicestershire having been formed in 1924, and has given rise to such talent as Richie Barker, Dion Dublin and Luke Varney. Not bad stuff, eh?

Competing in UniBond League 1st Division South, Quorn are aiming high and on the march.

So with all that in my locker, I thought to myself: "Yes, I can buy into this. This is worth a bit of my time."

Okay, so I may not be getting the next National Express coach up to Quorn for the night, but I would at least check out how many they banged past the hapless Foxes.

That was, until I flicked onto their official club website this morning, only to find that on Leicester's request, they've shifted the bloomin' match back two weeks to Thursday 24th. Sweet mother of mercy.

What was I saying about pre-season friendlies..? I rest my case.

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