Nice to be back at Brisbane Road, I hadn't realised how much I'd missed it over the course of what's passed for a summer so far. Also nice to be back in the East Stand, I'm now in the lower tier (the old enclosure) at the North End, which seems somewhat underpopulated. Certainly it was a lot easier to get a cup of tea, or standing room in the Gents, than in the West where I was last season. Only downside, apart from viewing from the level of the dugouts, was the crap PA system - at the end of half time I realised that I was hearing the Clash, the rest of the music passed me by, as did the team announcements.The new programme also has its faults - some of the headlines are in a font that looks as though the print has run, and are almost unreadable. The content remains high quality though, even if Alan Comfort's page seems to have been dropped - or maybe the Rev is just too busy saving souls.And so to the team - also new for 2007-08! My first view of the newcomers gave a lot of hope for the season, though the first-half performance was somewhat disjointed. We're already missing Matt Lockwood, though not at left-back, where Aiden Palmer did a sterling job marking Paul Hall, who was roasting full-backs when our Aiden was still in the infants. But Locky would probably have put away the first-half penalty which represented our only real threat on the Walsall goal in the first 45 minutes. Credit to Clayton Ince though for an excellent save, as well as stopping Wayne Corden's follow-up.It was Corden though who created the winner just after the break, a precise cross that left Wayne Gray with a simple far-post header. After that it was nervous stuff, as the balance of play swung one way then the other, and both teams had good chances to add to the score. But one-nil it finished, and we are now proudly top of League One, albeit only due to Leeds' 15-point penalty. I may be wrong, but I think it's our highest League position since relegation from the old 2nd Division back in 1982. Which would mean that last time we were in this position, we finished there! Early days yet though, but let's enjoy it while it lasts! posted by MSW 8:26 pm . . .
