Early.                              The season will soon be upon us and thankfully (or should I say hopeful) we won’t have the problems we had last season. I hint at hopefully because there’s always a chance someone may take me aside at training this week and say “Gaffer, I meant to tell you I’m away for two months to canoe up the Amazon for charity”. Believe me with our lot it could happen.

Last season we had a strong pool on paper but we didn’t really get our act together until around Christmas. Smiler and Jono missed the whole of pre-season thru coaching in the States and tending to the needy in Sri Laka. Add to that’s Dan getting the “yellow” jersey as King of the “real” Mountain when we were playing important games and you see why a lack of continuity showed around Challenge and Scottish Cup time.

Fit players are fit and missing pre-season or big junks of the season isn’t going to change that. If however, someone could help explain the difference between fitness and match fitness to a coach or manager so they can explain it to the public, they would be forever grateful. Jono and Smiler didn’t come back unfit but you can’t miss 20 pre-season sessions and not miss the benefits.

While I’m on, the size and nature of our defeat at Prestonfield still riles with me but Jono and Smiler were short of match fitness, Dan was half-way up a mountain – oh! and Donal was injured. I’ll leave it at that.

Why am I raising all this?

Daryl scored four goals for us in 15 minutes on Saturday. I can’t remember the last time a Spartans player ever did that. With Cloudie out for a while it was a great lift to everyone, especially with the season just round the corner. That’s of course if you didn’t know Mr Devlin is away on holiday for a fortnight this weekend and misses the start of the season.

On Daryl, we discussed what we thought was his best position a couple of weeks ago. “Coming in off the left or central midfield” he told me. “Rubbish, he’s a striker” Sam told me when he came back from the Mother country. 1-0 to Sam.

On the brighter side the problems we had last season with un-injured players missing for long periods won’t happen this time round. Struan is back this weekend, Daryl only misses a week of the season and as far as I know only Wee Eck is away (from 5/9 for two weeks) during the early season. 

A week on Saturday can’t come quick enough, whoever we have available.

Late.                          My first time on the Blog today as I was up and headed south at 5 o’clock this morning. More of that later.

Firstly, all of our boys didn’t get a game on Saturday which is disappointing.  Injury Bob and Cloudie were at our game and swapped hospital stories which is disappointing enough in itself but they are resigned to being out for a while.

Struan didn’t get a game and wouldn’t be bothered one little bit in the Greek sun.  Nani would have been too busy saving cats from tall trees to even think about football while Dan and Donal were doing what ex-uni boys seem to do for the rest of their lives – going away for the weekend to get p***** for some noble cause or other.

Because his dad picks the team Naomi got 90 minutes and even or “old” boy Tommo got a run about. Smiler and Electric couldn’t have spent a great afternoon. Hopefully Jono had a stethoscope round his neck which leaves Kevin watching his team go down 1-0 at home to Albion Rovers which couldn’t have been a pleasant experience.

Every player takes a chance going senior and I only hope Jono and Kevin are given theirs. It’s a long hard season and hopefully they’ll soon join Ross in a jersey with 2 to 11 on it. Maybe if Tam Motion or Dave “Gepeto” Seeley go into SFL management they will.

Finally for now on players, one guy stepping up this season was Cookie from the Uni and there’s a good photo of him in the SOS of keeping the ball away from Carlos Cuellar. I wonder if his dad helps John out at Raith?

I drove over 450 miles today doing what all good dad’s do – running about after my eldest child. Seemingly 1000 cv’s from kids in drama or dance schools/colleges were sent to Disney and after 50 were selected auditions were held in Manchester and London this weekend for two Kid’s presenter and four parts in a  show called “As the bell rings” (not that I’ve heard of it).  We were at the Palace Hotel in Oxford Street Manchester late this morning.

Gemma will hear tomorrow if she’s to head to London for a workshop on Thursday before they decide on the lucky ones.

Anyway there was tea and coffee laid on for the hingers-on so Sean (Gemma’s boyfriend) and I had a couple of cups of coffee as well as a few biscuits. Most of the kids had been sent home and we were waiting on Gemma when this flunky came in to tidy up. It was Postman Pat – I kid you not. He didn’t have the uniform or the hat on but he was a dead ringer. I should know as I’m going through a Postman Pat collection of books with the boys at the moment – “Postman Pat and the Job Well Done” I read to them tonight.

He had the nose and the walk and Sean nearly wet himself when I started humming the theme tune. As he pushed his trolley out the door I could swear Pat was humming along with me.

20.30                                     It turned out hot at Fernieside today which made it very hard work on one of the biggest, if not the biggest park in East of Scotland football. Fresh from a good result against Lothian Tynecastle were up for it. They started much better than we did and deservedly took the lead in 7 minutes. Before we got our act together Tynecastle should have gone two up but after 24 minutes we scored and took off from there.

Daryl Devlin scored a quick fire hat-trick then got another for good measure just before half-time. AK and Omar both hit the post in the second half before Nicky scored, at last, to put the game beyond Tynie. Near the death Tynecastle number 15 scored a great back post header to make the final score 5-2.

For the record our team was Flockhart, O’Donnell, Burns, Archibald, Fowlie, Manson, King, Kader, Walker, Devlin and Young. Hoskins came on for Burns after 45 mins, Robertson (Keiran for the Under 19′s) went on for Devlin after 70 mins and Burns (back on) and a mystery trialest went on for Kader and Fowlie with 15 minutes left. With under 5 to go Manson was told by the referee to walk so Kader went back on for the final whistle.

After a slow start to his Spartan’s career it was an explosive display by Daryl so has he arrived? Well if he hadn’t been going on holiday for a fortnight next weekend he might have. Talking of holidays Struan sent an Email from Greece today so he’s still alive and comparatively sober. 

Despite only drawing the second half there were a lot of positives from the display today. I hope our new park at the Academy is as big as the one we played on at Fernieside as we now have Spartan’s players with genuine pace and one especially in Nicky Walker, who knows how to play on the last defender.

10.00.                                    Last week we took part in the Annan tournament against SFL 2nd Division and top English Non League opposition. Today we play an EOS First Division side.

This morning my mind has gone from Galloway the place to Galloway the outspoken Respect MP.  We have five new players in our squad this season and a couple of the U19′s are helping us out today. I haven’t as yet gone over the footballing principles we adhere to at Spartans.

Our players could be excused for thinking things might be a bit easier this week than last but I’m not so sure. I’ve been in the game long enough to know that a team up for it against a team a little over confident is a recipe for disaster.

Today’s result doesn’t matter but we start our league campaign in two weeks time against a team we took 6 from at their ground last season. It’s the start of a new season and each and every team will be up for it.

What am I saying? There are banana skins all over the place in any level of the game. The last time Peebles were in the Premier Division they only won one league game in the season. Yes, you guessed it. That game was at City Park.

Respect is a big word in football. A very big word.

Late.                           It was hot today. It’s after 11.00 and I’ve just been sitting out the back with Jimbo, talking football and drinking red wine. He had a dram of course and the obligatory pipe. The BBC weather for Edinburgh isn’t taking any chances for tomorrow. There’s yellow rays of sun half surrounding a black cloud with one fairly large drop of rain.  The three day forecast starts with light showers so Irene might not bring the boys up to Fernieside.

David McLeod won’t be there either as he’s made the semi final of the Musselburgh Open. I bet he has a slow smooth swing. Talking of not making tomorrow Eric has chickenpox and won’t be there either. I thought it would be shingles at his age but maybe if you’ve never had chickenpox as a kid you can get it as a middle aged coach. Sam said he was covered in calamine lotion when he picked the balls up from him yesterday. Eric that is. Covered in lotion that is.

What’s my title about tonight? I’m sure the theatre lovers among you will know. They’re songs from Annie and I was at the Playhouse earlier watching my eldest daughter in the show. She’s too old to be Annie so her role this time out was “Star to be”.

On Sunday I drive her down to Manchester. She’s been invited to attend an interview by the Disney Channel as part of their Talent Seach 2008. I think she’s a star just now but you never know, to a wider audience a star she might soon well be.

Life isn’t all hard knocks.