Thursday 22nd October

Last night was going very smoothly indeed until Salomon Kalou found the net just before half-time against Atletico. I’d sold Chelsea’s supremacy at 1.5 for £100, so although this was a blow I wasn’t too disheartened with the hosts 1-0 up at the interval. My other bet – a £150 sell of goals at 2.4 in the CSKA Moscow v United game – was looking good thanks to a half-time stalemate on the joke plastic pitch. What on earth does CSKA stand for? I hope it’s not ‘crappy selling kills again.’

My wife called me into the kitchen for a late supper at around 8.40pm. She obviously didn’t get the message by the way I was hoofing down my lamb chops and giving one word answers, but it was 9.10pm before I got back to my computer and it wasn’t good news from Stamford Bridge. Kalou and Ballack had both scored and my £50 profit had now evaporated into a £150 loss. Fortunately, it was still goalless in the United game, but my desk got a good kick when Antonio Valencia scored his second goal in two games in the 86th minute. I definitely came off worse.

I ended up with a £210 profit, but thanks to some muppet called Perea (I’ve been assured he’s not a Spanish cousin of Sporting Index’s ex-PR man Wally Pyrah) who scored an own goal for Atletico, Chelsea’s 4-0 win cost me £250. What a load of effort for a £40 loss – should have just gone to the pub.

Friday 23rd October

I left the football alone last night and was very glad I did as I nearly got with Everton at Benfica. Their 5-0 defeat shows exactly what kind of form I’m in, but at least I didn’t play and could concentrate on the afternoon’s racing at Donny.

To be honest, I don’t really like punting on a Friday afternoon. I generally do my proverbials and it didn’t look at all easy at Town Moor. I had a meeting at lunchtime, so decided to just have a couple of bets before I left and hope that at least one of them kopped.

I was quite keen to buy winning distances, but the rain that had been promised all week hadn’t materialised so I left that and stuck to a couple of win index bets. Barry Hills’ team are hitting form and he loves to send runners up here, so I bought £10 of his Tamaathul in the first at 31. Never a moment’s danger and the stunning grey came home 1 ½ lengths clear. A nice start to the day and £190 in my back pocket.

The key race for me though was the 2.55pm Nursery Handicap. You may remember me slagging off the aforementioned Wally Pyrah last month for not being able to tip milk into his cereal bowl. He gave me Tim Easterby’s Antoniola at Ayr and he ran a decent race to finish third. However, today was the day in my eyes; he was slightly disappointing at Redcar last time, but he would surely relish this step up to a mile, with Graham Gibbons in the saddle for the first time. I’ve seen gibbons at the zoo before – they’re pretty strong.

Well, I couldn’t go overboard on a horse trading at 5-7 on the index, but I bought at 7 for £10. Gibbons lived up to his name and brought the promising two-year-old home in front to wild screams of delight from me in a betting shop in the City. After I calmed down I must admit I felt a bit like a wally for getting so carried away, but cue the call from Wally himself. Well done, Wal, you’re forgiven for that own goal at Stamford Bridge last night.

Saturday 24th October

Wow – what a Friday! And I didn’t even have a Crunchie. The key thing to do when you’ve had a great day though is to bring yourself back down to earth quickly or you’ll end up giving it all back. I travelled up to Doncaster for the Racing Post Trophy, so had plenty of time to consider all that, but was sure Villa could demolish Wolves in the early kick-off. O’Neill’s side have been impressive in recent weeks and surely they can win this one. I bought their supremacy at 0.5 for £200 and was feeling confident driving up the M1.

Things weren’t going great at Molineux after an hour – Wolves seemed to be holding their own and had had some decent chances. I don’t what it is about Mick McCarthy, but he really gets on my nerves. He sounds like he’s just left the Woolpack after about five pints every time he’s interviewed on TV and he’s quite simply not a very good Premier League manager. I’m nearing Doncaster when Agbonlahor scores and I was now looking at a respectable £100 profit from the game. That is, until Ebanks-Blake scored a penalty a few minutes later and I had to settle for a £100 loss.

I arrived at Doncaster not long before the first race. It never fails to amaze me how drunk these people get up here - just glad there’s no best dressed ladies competition. Some pretty ropey types. The key race of the day is obviously the RP Trophy, but I’m more interested in the 5 furlong sprint an hour before. I’ve followed Eric Alston’s Invincible Lad all season and am convinced he’s been laid out for this race following a pipe opener at Southwell last weekend. I buy him for a tenner at 16 on the index and although he runs okay, I’m left with a £160 loss. To the Racing Post Trophy and although I like St Nicholas Abbey, I can’t back him at the prices. He absolutely sluices up and I really should have got stuck in. It’s a long old drive back down south.

Sunday 25th October

It’s been something of a punting rollercoaster over the past couple of days, so I decide to have a quiet one on the Sabbath. The family and I travel up to Inverness for a couple of days relaxation in the Highlands. It’s the first time the three monkeys have got on a plane so it is certainly a journey to remember, probably not for the people sitting near us though.

The big betting event of the day is obviously the Liverpool v United game and I have one bet on the match – a £100 buy of United’s supremacy at 0.3. There was no reception when we got off the plane so I had to wait until we reached the hotel before finding out that I’d lost £230. I consider downgrading to a 2-star hotel down the road. What makes it even more annoying is that I was going to buy bookings down to the inexperienced referee. When it rains it pours – and it’s bloody pissing it down here.

Monday 26th October

The kids have a lovely day riding Shetland ponies and generally causing havoc. I rein in the punting on a quiet day – three days are a long time in the betting world and ‘Fantastic Friday’ was nothing but a distant memory. My misery was compounded when a colleague phoned up to say that Eliza Doolittle, a horse we’d both backed at Yarmouth last week, had just won at Kempton by a nose. My daughter Eliza said not long afterwards, "what’s wrong daddy?" Not easy to respond to that one.

Tuesday 27th October

There’s nothing worse than missing out on a winner when you’re away and there were a couple yesterday which were like daggers in my heart. I hear that John Gosden’s running a decent animal first time out in the maiden at Yarmouth. There are a couple of hotpots in the race, but I can’t resist having a £5 buy of Commissionaire in the 1.10pm at 14. I listened to the race on my phone (probably the only place in Scotland where you can get reception) and it didn’t sound good when he seemed to be tailed off after a furlong. Things had changed by the time they got to the furlong pole though and he rattled home to win going away. Yes! Should have bought for a tenner was the immediate reaction, but can’t be greedy.

I decide to sell United’s supremacy at 1.1 for £100 against Barnsley tonight. Mark Robins may have saved Fergie’s career at the City Ground, but I can see him dumping his former boss out. Spurs and Everton have been involved in some high scoring games recently so I also buy goals at 2.9 for another £100. I’m hoping these two games will pay for the hotel – if not, the kids may be doing the dishes.

Wednesday 28th October

"Michael Owen is a red…" sing the United fans. Well, I could replace the word ‘red’ with a number of four-letter words after he scored United’s second. That strike meant I made a £90 loss on the game and a £180 loss on the night thanks to just two goals in the Spurs v Everton match. Can you get marigolds for kids?

I’m going to win it all back by buying goals at 2.8 in tonight’s Arsenal v Liverpool game for £150. There have been eight, six and nine goals scored in games between these two in the last three seasons. It’s like buying money!