After a self imposed exile (the tail end of last season was too depressing to blog about) I am back to dip my toes tentatively in the waters of Blogworld again. With the summer behind us and that debacle of a football tournament, I know I was not alone in the anticipation of the new campaign. Some old friends hung up their red shirts, and new ones have taken them off the hangers to wear the Boro Martello for the first time. A warm welcome goes to all the summer signings.

With a very promising pre-season behind us, the opening day of the newly named Blue Square Bet premier arrived, with the rain teaming down. Don't you just love August in England! Tamworth was to be the hunting ground. Quaint ground built on a ski slope! Not saying it was an uphill struggle but Eddie the Eagle wouldn't have looked out of place at the top of such an incline. With 45 or so Boro faithful braving the showers (be nice if all grounds had roofs like ours!) the yellow perils from the South Coast took to the field... The customary warm up knock about seemed to carry on for the first 30 minutes of the game itself, and within a few blinks of the eye, we seemed to on our way to a opening day hammering.

I have never claimed to be a great football tactician but I am sure that carrying a silver salver isn't a normal piece of soccer equipment. It did seem to be prevalent though when gifting on said plate, goals of pure simplicity. The referee put us away fans out of our misery when 45 minutes had passed and we all re-grouped in the drizzle to discuss the events. I did comment that the rain looked like a small shower, and was quickly retorted that it was better than that **** shower on the pitch!

One can only imagine what G and N said at half time, but, with the slope in our favour, we came alive in the 2nd period and soon had Tammuf on the ropes. Having done the hard work and got a goal back and continues pressure, the salver made a guest appearance and the three goal gap was back. Never say die has always been the Boro ethos and that was apparent as we pulled another back. The final whistle brought an end to the suffering, but it was more a day of disappointment than despondency. After all there were still 45 games left, and the fact that big spending neighbours Crawley had failed at home made us smile!

A damp Tuesday evening was the chance for the boys to put the Staffordshire nightmare to bed, and Hayes and Yeading made the short trip from Middlesex to get the Priory Lane home season underway. With no important football on the televison that night (Spurs in Switzerland doesnt count as important!) we hoped for a good attendance, and at 7.10 pm I think there were 49 fans in the ground. By 7.45, 902 had made the turnstiles click and it was game on. Once again, drizzle was falling making the playing surface very slick. The Red shirts soon settled and it was to be a night of sweet passing football. With Ross "Delap" Treleavan launching long throws in to the box, and a good vocal support, the players treated us to the best display of football since we knocked the stuffing out of Torquay. Many tipped us to be the whipping boys in a league that grows stronger each season, but on the evidence presented on Tuesday, we may well have a few aces up our sleeves again, and a few big name scalps may fall again at The Lane.

On the subject of Ross and that mega throw. It has been compared to Rory Delap, and not just for the distance it reaches. Seems the H&Y bench didnt see the funny side of a towel being at hand... well it was raining and we can't have Ross losing his grip can we!!! Suffice to say, the towel didn't come out for the second half. Seems it was thought it gave an unfair advantage, but no one said H&Y couldn't use it! As the evening's entertainment came to and end, the score board glowed a proud 5-0 in red, and the ghost of Tamworth firmly laid to rest.

Those Dragons are back this Saturday and if past encounters are anything to go by, we should be in for a cracker. If you are at a loose end and never been to watch, then why not give it go. Some folks think it's a bit tinpot being non-league, but when you look at the teams in this league, there are giants of past years and we are mixing it again for the third year in a row...... Come down, and experience it first hand. You may go home pleasantly surprised!