IT might be a new season but it would appear the excellent value for money one gets from having a Darlo season ticket has continued from last season. Only Fylde’s Mill Farm saw more goals last season than the combination of Heritage Park and Blackwell Meadows. On Wednesday night, seven goals in the first home game should surly have action-seeking neutrals flocking to check us out.

I don’t think there was any doubt we would score goals against a Gainsborough team that will be closer to the bottom of the league than the top. Banging them in at the right end is written in to the DNA of any Martin Gray team. However, after the superb defensive showing at Salford City on Saturday, our defending on Wednesday was a little more familiar to what was seen last season.

Judging by the post-match interview, it didn’t sound like Martin Gray was too happy with the way we defended and it’s hard not to agree with his assessment. Hopefully, with the season being in its embryonic phase, we can work out the errors and still look more solid than we did last season.

Having turned up to Blackwell Meadows expecting a pretty comfortable win, my heart sank when the Lincolnshire side took the lead. There seems to be a bit of a pattern forming when we play Gainsborough which involves lots of goals and some questionable defending by both sides. To turn the game around and go in to the break 2-1 up felt like it should have been the starting point of a really positive second half performance. Getting the third, regardless of its fluky nature, should have sealed the game. At that point, it was more a question of how many we would score rather than whether or not the win would be in doubt.

What will have concerned the coaching staff as much as the fans is that we managed to go from 3-1 up to almost going 4-3 down. As it was, a belting finish from Josh Gillies sealed the three points that most will have been banking on.

In terms of the positives, I thought Dave Syers played well in the midfield. With a full pre-season under his belt, I fancy he is going to be a big player for us. What impresses me the most about him is his sixth sense ability of being in the right place at the right time. He seems to be almost impossible to pick up.

I was also impressed with Mark Beck. It’s hard not to be. Considering he spent a decent part of pre-season injured, he has still been able to play every minute of the first two games causing all sorts of problems for the opposition defenders while also putting in a shift as the first line of defence. His work-rate has always impressed me and he has started this season in the same vein to last.

Hopefully, the defensive blips will have been worked out of the system ahead of Saturday’s visit of Alfreton. Although they lost at Boston United in the midweek fixtures, they look to have put together a useful side having completely reshaped their squad in the summer with a raft of new signings. If we are as hospitable defensively as we were on Wednesday night, it could end up being another goal-laden match. After the drama of the Gainsborough game, I think I’d settle for a pretty tedious 1-0 home win right now if only to allow my nerves to recover.