Hope & Hopefully Glory

Its that time of year again, the start of the football season and anything is possible. After the summer break it's great that football is back, and the whole sense of optimism  is fuelled by the warm weather, there is nothing like  attending a few games in your shorts and t-shirt. It feels a long way off to those cold dark winter days when the season is won or lost. At this stage of the campaign, if you lose a couple of games so what, it's a marathon not a sprint, and even though the warning signs are there, that we didn't quite address all those old frailties with the strong defender, or the pacey winger, or that 20 goal guaranteed a season striker, somehow this season will be different, this will be the one.

You can't beat that feeling of waking up on a match day, the excitement of going to the game, knowing that today we have three points in the bag. Looking forward to that 'Barcelona esq' exquisite passing game, that goal being scored that only Messi could dream of, and then of course there are all the pre match routines that you just have to follow to make that dream come true.

I'm not much of a left sock on before underpants person, and I don't have a threadbare t-shirt from 1972 that I must wear or else the sky will fall in, but I do enjoy my pre match build up. A spoons breakfast, train journey to Sheffield, tram to the Wellington or usually the Hillsborough Hotel for a pre match pint or two (just to settle the nerves and meet up with the London Owls) and of course the Béres pork sandwich with everything on (to die for).

This continues through the match, there is the half time pint - well I call it that but unless you start queueing 5 minutes after kick off, its usually the 'midway through the second half pint', and of course the heckling of people who leave before the end of the match, regardless of the game being on a knife edge or not (what's that all about?) I consider it my right .......... no my duty to stay to the final whistle and express my appreciation or disappointment at the end of the game!

All this is followed by the reality of post match, when it wasnt so much Barcelona, but the game was reminiscent of that Sunday league match you dropped across a couple of weeks ago in the park. The debates over a post match pint, usually in the New Barrack Tavern, the disallowed goal, the offside that never was, that back pass, and of course that bloody referee who was optically challenged (they always are).

My vision of the half time bar

Of course, as the Baston Owls head home after a long day, spirits start to pick up on the train, usually fuelled by a couple of cans of 'Hop on Board' courtesy of LNER. It wasn't really that bad, and your thoughts turn to the next game. You can feel the excitement starting to build. Yes today's game was a bit of a one off, roll on the next.... and the whole cycle starts again.

Its been a great start for Wednesday, a good pre season and a cracking result in the first match away at Reading. I think Bullen has done a great job, as he has in all the games where he has assumed the managers role. He has a passion for the club, he knows the club inside out, he knows the players and will have learnt a lot from the managers and coaches he has worked with.  Sometimes the answer is right in front of you but you can't always see it.

Well it's Wednesday v the Dingles (Barnsley) on Saturday, a local derby to get the home campaign on the go. I can't wait, let's hope the good form continues. We have signed a few players in the transfer window, (shame we didn't get Hector back) so maybe all those gaps and weaknesses have been filled, after all this is going to be the season, I can feel it in my water.