Last year's disastrous three-month dry spell in the nation's midsection was followed by an unusually mild and snowless winter in the Northeast.

A brief spell at King's Lynn was followed by a move further down the league pyramid to Dereham Town late in 2007.

Two more tight spells were followed by his first significant contributions with the bat.

And no matter how sick the person is, a truly bad spell will almost inevitably be followed by a period in which the condition seems to improve.

A brief spell at Bristol City was followed by a season long loan at Dundee United.

A brief spell at Gibraltar was followed by a visit to Cadiz to prevent a planned blockade of the harbour by rebel troops.

A brief spell with Falkirk in 1989 was followed by a return to Greenock before retiring in 1990.

His spell at Mangotsfield was soon followed by another one-month loan to Weston-super-Mare on 4 January 2008.

More likely is that a fungus began growing on the grass when a recent spell of warm, dry weather was quickly followed by a heavy frost, he said.

A spell at Hyde United was followed by a brief spell at Droylsden until a knee injury brought a premature end to his career.