IT’S been a summer to remember. Football came perilously close to coming home and the weather has been quite spectacular, and yet I’m glad it’s all behind us now for early August means one thing and one thing only - the start of the 2018-19 National League North campaign.

After a year of turmoil both on and off the pitch, the new season feels like it heralds a new level of normality. Over the summer, there’s been no drama. There’s been no angst. We have plenty of seats and we have a more realistic squad both in terms of numbers and composition.

After a nervous start to his time in charge last season, results ultimately came good for Tommy Wright and left us feeling a lot more positive about our prospects going forward. While a midseason facelift was needed and undertaken relatively successfully, the new season is where Tommy can truly make his mark as our manager. He’s had a clear out.

One or two of the departures probably had some fans questioning decisions taken, but on paper at least it appears our summer transfer activity has gone pretty well. The squad may be a bit leaner in numbers this year but considering how lopsided last season’s squad was with defenders, we look more equipped to deal with the rigours of a 42-game season with or without additional cup runs – whatever they are.

Although Tommy has only brought in six players to date it feels as though the whole dynamic of the squad has changed. That new dynamic raises a raft of questions that will probably be answered one way or another during the hectic first month of the season. Will Reece Styche and Simon Ainge dovetail? Who will be the central defensive partnership? Will we play 4-4-2 or another formation? How will Tommy utilise Jordan Nicholson and how will that impact on Stephen Thompson’s position? All these questions and more haven’t been immediately answered during the preseason friendlies so we’ll probably have a better understanding come 3pm this Saturday.

One thing that is for sure is the league looks wide open following the promotion of Salford City and Harrogate Town last season. No doubt the regular runners and riders in Kidderminster and Brackley will be there or thereabouts but there is a raft of sides that will be looking to fill the void left behind by the sugar daddy clubs. Stockport seem well fancied and, of course, there will be York. Hereford will carry momentum as they step up a level and our friends at Spennymoor Town will no doubt look to push on from an excellent first year in the league.

Can we be in the mix? It’s well known that we have cut a lot of money out of our budget although the incredible generosity of our wonderful fans to boost Tommy’s budget will have mitigated some of the cut. The signings we’ve made look ambitious and I’d like to think that a forward line including Styche and Ainge can drag us kicking and screaming in to the playoffs. Opposition defences shouldn’t have a minute’s rest with those two causing havoc.

With over a quarter of the league fixtures coming in the first two months we’ll quickly understand which direction our season is heading. For me, a run in to the playoffs would be great, but not the be all and end all. A cup run (or two) would be fantastic, but more importantly I just hope the club as a whole continues to progress.

With the club having taken a more strategic long-term approach to planning rather than just ploughing every last penny in to the team and football management, I hope the fruits of John Tempest, David Johnston, Chris Stockdale and the DFCSG board’s labours start to show their buds.