Pretending to Be Calm with Two Days to Go!

The day before the day before the season and I am a bundle of nerves.

Everything kicks off in Essex against Chelmsford City on Saturday and although we really need a good start I have no idea how we are going to begin. The evidence is decidedly mixed.

Last year we struggled to score goals in the preseason and the regular season. This year, despite having a weaker team offensively on paper, we have scored more goals and in every preseason match. We only have one recognised striker who is not injured at the moment, Darren Edwards, and he is generally seen as a support striker rather than a goal machine. Still, like I say, City appear to be in good form on the pitch.

Last year Chelmsford were one of the top teams but City beat them home and away. The away match was by general consent, City's top performance of the year. Chelmsford went through a lot of turmoil off the pitch midway through their season. The manager axed seven players after they were ejected from the playoffs. Things do not appear to be completely settled. And yet, most pundits are picking them for another top five finish. It could be that City will be beginning the competition with an away match against one of the best teams in the league.

One of the things I like about the level City play at is it is completely unpredictable. Despite the surprising number of journalists who cover the Blue Square South, the clubs are too small and introverted for anyone to know what is happening at all twenty-two of them. Like last year some clubs who everyone expects to do well will fail as Havant & Waterloo did. Some club will come out of obscurity to fight for and maybe win a promotion place, a la Hayes & Yeading. The City discussion board is full of anxiety, but we don't really know how the season will shape up at all.

And of course, I am full of anxiety too. I pace around the house nervously. I scan the Chelmsford City discussion boards for what their fans expect (the majority are expecting a draw - I could live with a draw). I pretend, to my wife and to people who do not also have the bug, that it is all just a bit of fun. But we NEED a win. At most eleven of twenty-two teams can begin the season with a win, but please make sure that Bath City is one of them!