DISAPPOINTING OPENER TO NEW SEASON.

A SOGGY OPENING DAY TO THE SEASON.

THE MUCH AWAITED NEW SEASON FINALLY GOT UNDER WAY TODAY, PRE-MATCH CONFIDENCE WAS HIGH AFTER SOME EXCELLENT PRE SEASON PERFORMANCES, TODAY WE WOULD BE WITHOUT JAMIE WALTHAM, SCOTT PHILLIPS AND CRAIG HOGG DUE TO EARLY SUSPENSIONS, BUT I COULD NOT SEE US LOSING AS LONG AS WE PLAYED TO OUR STRENGTHS AGAINST LEAGUE NEW BOYS "ASKERN VILLA".

"BORO" STARTED MUCH THE BETTER TEAM AS ONE WOULD EXPECT, THERE WAS A GOOD SIZED VOCIFEROUS CROWD IN THE GROUND, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE POOR WEATHER.

ASKERN WERE UNDER CONSTANT BORO PRESSURE AND IT WAS DAVE THOMPSON WHO EVENTUALLY SCORED THE GOAL WHICH PUT THE BORO 1-0 UP, A RYAN BLOTT FREE KICK FOUND IT'S WAY TO THOMPSON CLOSE TO GOAL AND HE MADE NO MISTAKE FROM CLOSE RANGE, BORO CONTINUED TO PRESS AND IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE LEAD WOULD BE DOUBLED, AND WHEN THE 2nd GOAL CAME, IT WAS "THOMMO" AGAIN, A NEAT BUILD UP RESULTED IN DAVE THOMPSON HEADING HOME GOAL NUMBER TWO.

BORO PREPARE TO DEFEND A FREE KICK.

ASKERN DID IMPROVE IN THE FINAL THIRD OF THE FIRST HALF, BUT COULD NOT BREAK DOWN THE BORO DEFENCE.

FREE KICK SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDED.

THE SECOND HALF TOLD A DIFFERENT STORY TO THE FIRST, BORO LOST THEIR WAY, AND ASKERN WERE GIFTED TWO VERY LUCKY, SLOPPY GOALS BY A DITHERING BORO DEFENCE,THE MANAGER MUST HAVE STILL BEEN ON "TURKEY TIME" HE SEEMED QUITE UNCONCERNED AT WHAT WAS HAPPENING ON THE PITCH,IT COULD HAVE BEEN SVEN SAT IN THE DUG-OUT, IN SPITE OF THE POOR PERFORMANCE BY THE TEAM DURING THE SECOND HALF NO WORDS OF ENCOURAGMENT OR ADVICE WERE COMING FROM AN UNUSUALLY QUIET DUG OUT, EVENTUALLY GARY HEPPLES WAS BROUGHT ON TO ADD A BIT OF BITE TO THE MIDFIELD, BUT IT WAS TOO LITTLE TOO LATE.

ASKERN PASSED THE BALL AROUND AND WERE CLEARLY THE BETTER SIDE DURING THE SECOND HALF AND THEY DESERVED THEIR SHARE OF THE POINTS TODAY.

JAMIE WALTHAM WAS BADLY MISSED TODAY, RYAN MORTON NEVER REALLY GOT GOING, RYAN BLOTT LOOKED TIRED AND WAS MORE INTERESTED IN GIVING THE REFEREE ADVICE THAN DOING HIS JOB ON THE FIELD, GRIFFIN, THOMPSON AND ELLIS GAVE 100% FOR BORO AND ONCE AGAIN "THOMMO" WAS MY MAN OF THE MATCH.

WE ENDED LAST SEASON ON A 12 MATCH UNBEATEN RUN AND TODAY WE WERE UNBEATEN BUT WE WERE NOT OUR USUAL SELVES, I HOPE BRIAN WILL WORK HIS MAGIC BEFORE THE NEXT GAME WHICH IS A DIFFICULT TRIP TO RAINWORTH ON TUESDAY NIGHT.