After a successful pre-season tour of Lancashire and Cheshire and a couple of home friendlies against higher opposition, it was time to inaugurate The Toughsheet Community Stadium with its first League match.

Our Doombar deliberations were resumed with everyone having Great Expectations that the Hard Times are going to disappear this year. Recruitment has gone well and there is great excitement to see how our team develops this season. But first, there was the no small matter of beating the Imps from Lincoln.

They came with the longest unbeaten first day record in England and an impressive record against the top six last season, losing only one match and that was here at the Unibol.

In the stadium, most of the promised improvements are yet to be seen as they will take time to implement. The old screen had finally give up the ghost and we had to rely on the croaky PA system for information. But it was like Friends Reunited as fellow supporters greeted each other after the summer break.

Ian Evatt named a strong team with most of the new recruits on the bench. More and more, football is becoming a squad game. With five substitutes allowed, the manager has plenty of options to respond and change a game if his original plan goes pear-shaped. Herein lies our strength, I believe.

How would we perform? We got our answer within five minutes, when Jack Iredale headed home Aaron Morley’s corner, to set the tone for the afternoon. It was a dominant performance with only the occasional threat from Lincoln. Victor Adebeyo headed home Randall Williams’ corner before Lincoln decided it was easier to score in their own net. It could have been more.

We have got off to a good start and looking at the forthcoming fixtures, we have a chance to consolidate that. But every match will present its own challenges to overcome. That is the beauty of football, every team is different, and we have to find ways to beat them. Hopes are high from the start this season. Let’s make it happen together.