Former Daily Gazete editor Colin Channon grew up in Gosport. He lives only a couple of miles from the Privett Park ground. So there was no way he was going to miss Sunday's FA Cup tie against Colchester...

So in the end, it was job done. The U's scored six times, their fans had a nice day out, and the club were safely into the red velvet bag for the second round of the FA Cup.

So no banana skin at the Conference South club. More a peachy occasion.

At times, it looked as if the U's were going to run away with things. At times, it looked as if they were going to let Gosport back into the tie. A typical cup tie.

But through it all, the travelling fans sang. And then sang some more.

They were the real stars of the day.

It was a disappointing crowd in terms of size. Sure, the Privett Park ground looked full – and no-one says that many times at the Weston Homes stadium – but local talk was that Gosport spent about £16,000 installing temporary seating behind both goals, ratcheting up the capacity to 4,500.

Shame, then, only a smidgen more than 2,000 people turned up.

It didn't help, of course, that two towns steeped in military tradition had to play on Remembrance Sunday, 100 years after the start of the first world war.

Awful planning that – made even more nonsensical in that, just across the harbour, Portsmouth were entertaining Aldershot in another first-round tie.

Two more clubs whose fans had lost relatives in battle who had to choose between paying their respects to the fallen, or popping along to the football.

No wonder attendances were down.

Not surprisingly, the minute's silence before the kick-off was immaculately observed.

The U's started well. The game was 30 minutes old before Sam Walker was called into action. By then, they were three up and their fans were confident enough to chide the home support: “Bus stop in Portsmouth, you're just a bus stop in Portsmouth...”

Then Borough reduced the arrears, and there was a spring in their step.

The U's fans, maybe fearing the tie wasn't over after all – and remembering that Sheffield United collapse – switched their chant to: Lose “4-3 – we're gonna lose 4-3...”

Of course, it was never going to happen. It may have been a tight ground – any overhit pass that was a little too high had every chance of sailing over the surrounding fence and finishing in the neighbouring cricket club – but the U's adapted well, and always had too much composure, too much skill, too much nous.

Tony Humes and his team had to make do with a technical area that was so cramped there was hardly room for the manager's size tens. But he could look on and admire a job well done.

For the fans, though, it was fun. Borough didn't fleece them. A cup of tea was still only £1. A burger still £2.20. And for £4, they could tuck in to a cholesterol-filled burger, bacon, egg and sausage mega-bap. Great value.

There was no segregation. Fans could sit where they wanted.

They could even walk from one end of the ground to the other at half-time, if they wanted, to perch behind the goal their side were attacking. Just like the good old days.

In fact, it was day as far removed from the sterile Premiership as it's possible to be.

No advertising hoardings detracting from the game with ever-moving images. No fleecing the public. No evidence of football being a 'brand'.

Just two teams scrapping it out without on-field diving and theatrics, and two sets of fans enjoying the occasion, and gently ribbing each other with good humour and a smile.

And the day was all the better for it.