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It's all beginning again, the optimism, the fun, the football!
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By:
Eric Hitchmo
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01/08/2009
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More On Lincoln City
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"So with the game at Ebbsfleet done and dusted, it's now with great excitement and anticipation that we await the first game of the season at Lincoln next week. Aside from being three sheets to the wind, I wonder what other feelings we will be experiencing in seven days time. Will it be one of anger, disappointment or pure joy?
Last year's debacle against Chesterfield was to put it lightly, a kick in the teeth. It was a massive anti-climax from the first pint to the final whistle and was to set a precedent for the season. You associate the first day with optimism and a high chance of a hot, sunny day. Memories of standing on a busy East Terrace with many very hot and flustered Barnet fans watching us beat Telford 2-0 on what seemed like the hottest day in history in 2003 were merely distant daydream away from the reality that sat in front of us against The Spireites. It was raining all day, and Barnet crumbled in the second half to a side that were simply streets ahead of them, eventually losing 3-1.
And there it was, after ninety minutes, the optimism and the buzz for the season ahead had vanished. As I say, it set a precedent for the opening half of the season at least. Just not good enough. By quite a distance. Look at the team that started that game, is it any wonder?
Still, the blind optimism always comes back, no matter what happens in the weeks leading up to the season. Though is it actually that blind this year? As I touched on last week where everyone else was writing us off, I reckon we've got a cause to be optimistic this year.
Ian Hendon has again made some excellent looking signings on a tight budget and although the squad may look a little thin were injuries and suspensions to hit us hard, he has done his very best to prepare us for the upcoming season. Micah Hyde looks a class act as captain and Aussie Daniel Leach looks like a real find in defence. Albert Jarrett will be an option on the left wing on a three month deal and our first XI looks pretty good across the pitch. If we can make a strong start and hold on to key players into September, the top half and beyond looks realistic, in my humble opinion.
There's nothing quite like the week that leads up to the new season. It's the same every year but it doesn't get any less exciting. In fact, it's even more exciting now with this air of optimism that fills the club and a decent percentage of fans. Those of us in offices will most likely find the 9-5 grind very slow and very long, however when we all walk out on Friday evening, that's when the hysteria and buzz really begins to kick in.
I always seem to struggle with sleep the night before the first game, even with the disappointment suffered and served up in the last few years, the excitement just doesn't dwindle ahead of the new season. Nine more months ahead, the journey starts again. And when I wake up next Saturday, I'll have a huge spring in my step on the way to the train station first thing in the morning. We all will, won't we?
To put it in layman's terms, I can't bloody wait for this."
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