AFTER a week of controversy surrounding the festive fixture list, at least there was a return to common sense on New Year's Eve, or was there?

Middlesbrough and Sunderland both had home matches, ensuring they were ready for the arrival of 2006 at midnight, but whether Newcastle United's supporters and staff made it back to the North-East in time is another matter.

There are those who will agree and those who disagree with the gruelling schedule over the Christmas period at all levels of the professional game in this country.

But you would be hard pressed to find anyone who welcomes clubs travelling hundreds of miles to play a game when the public have got far better things to be doing.

It is not a question of money. The Premiership's top-earners should play whenever and wherever they are asked to. Call it one of the pitfalls of being in a fortunate position.

But to expect fans to turn out in force to watch their team travel, in some cases, the length and breadth of the country is a bridge too far.

Take Saturday. Just days after the embarrassing situation where the region's top three teams had their matches postponed, Newcastle had to make a 700-mile round trip to Tottenham on December 31.

That in itself is nearly as farcical as asking Charlton to make a similar trip from the capital to Tyneside only to be told the game has been called off 25 minutes before kick-off.

The Premier League insist all measures are taken to try to make sure matches during this period of the year are taken to avoid such scenarios. Well look harder.

"We do work very hard with clubs, supporters groups and the police to ensure the holiday fixtures are as close as possible, but there are not enough derby fixtures to go around," said spokesman Dan Johnson.

There may not be enough derbies to meet every club's requirements when there are four matches inside eight days, but Newcastle to London on December 31? That's a bit much, surely.

"They can fix the fixture programme with some factors in mind, why can't they do it when it matters," Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the Football Supporters Federation rightly pointed out.

"Seaside towns can't have games on Bank Holiday weekends, cities with two teams can't have two games on the same day, surely avoiding a long trip at Christmas time is not too much to ask."

Newcastle's two bizarre fixtures are, of course, just among a number of wrongly arranged matches at this time of the year.

But what infuriates football lovers the most is the way certain clubs have it easier.

Boro's Christmas list, even if the midweek Bolton match had not been postponed, was better than most with today's short trip to Newcastle their only other away day.

Liverpool's two matches away from home - against Everton and Bolton - amount to a round trip of just 81miles. Sunderland will be happy to hear that when they head to Fulham today.

Apparently the fixture pile-up and long trips could have been avoided had Sven Goran Eriksson not wanted a four-week break before the World Cup to ensure the England squad are in the best frame of mind possible.

But that excuse won't wash for the clubs lower down the football ladder.

Hartlepool and Darlington have had it quite lucky but their opponents haven't.

Barnet and Torquay have both had enormous journeys to the TFM Arena, while Southend and Swindon will have both ventured up to Victoria Park by close of play this evening.

If nothing can be done about the weather, and in this country that is something we have to accept, those at Soho Square must surely act to prevent a repeat of the past two weeks' shenanigans in the summer.

And, if a suitable conclusion can't be reached, the likelihood is football over the festive period will deteriorate drastically, with players playing in front of depressingly low crowds.

Two games in 14 days would suffice.