So first game of the league season complete and I am shocked to have got our first points and win so early on in the season. I really thought we would struggle at the foot of the table for at least a few weeks whilst we found our feet, however I felt we really performed well as a team yesterday, it wasn't perfect by all means and we have a lot to work out at training but it was a good start, Widcombe are always tough opposition and our games with them are often tight so beating them is no mean feat. Our team has changed dramatically in the past few weeks with some older experienced heads leaving and some very young (but local lads - which is amazing) coming in to take their place. I feel that if they stick together we gotta a good future as a team but the honours I was hoping to get this year may have to be put on hold for a while.

Our next game is BS4 which has now be hightened by a few things firstly that they have three ex Hillfields players and secondly they beat us last time and lost last weekend so I fully expect them to be on it. I was hoping to avoid a Derby game this season with Sanctuary gone but this game now has more added spice and expectation now than it could of had. I expect BS4 to be a huge test and one our young lads may not be ready for - but we will see.

Also looks like with Christchurch beating slip yesterday that we will very likely be meeting them in the shield again

Can't believe I am writing this (all beit to myself) Three league games in and three wins, top of the league (just) and I cannot believe at how well we have started, despite a slow start saturday, we dominated the match for a good 60 mins and that was encouraging also considering we were a goal down it was great that we fought back. I think Rock will get some results in the near future and creep up the table am shock to see them where they are. BS4 this week will be very tough I expect a very hard match they will be out for revenge and we may well not have enough to keep our 100% record going.

Was really chuffed with todays win, it was a game we really had to graft a result out of in difficult conditions and had to come back twice which was really good to see although i'd rather we did it in an easier way and not make it so dramatic. Kensington are a tough outfit and will challenge for promotion this season.

We missed Damien today however Ash on his second Debut fitted in well and kept it safe at the back with Joe, both Kensingtons goals were are mistakes, so far we have let in 5 but 4 of those have been player error two freekicks and the two today, if we can cancel out these silly mistakes then we've got a great chance of being solid, next we need to work on out attack. Thats next week.

Todays win put us 7 points clear of third which is a great place to be in but still a long way to go.

I don't need to say much about this Saturdays game this will be our toughest game of the season no doubt and one which may make or break our season.

That last paragraph is the longest unpunctuated sentence ever. Lumps will be jealous.

Crofty, the men in white coats are on their way as you've been talking to yourself as if there are two of you in one body.

So today signalled the end of what turned out to be a great season and it all started with a 5-1 loss to slip in the cup prelim.

That loss to Slip and losing top scorer Luke Gibbons is actually the two areas that signify our season turning around. Firstly we lost Luke a week before the season kicked off meaning we only had one striker left and then losing to Slip badly, really made us rethink things and it was Slip we really have to thank for our rejigging of our team as it was their 4-5-1 against us with moods running the show that got me to change our formation and play to our strengths. Joe (who would get into any team in the top division as a centre mid) was moved into defence with Damien, be put Christy up on his own and gave James a role he grew into better than we ever thought. After our 5-1 defeat to slip, we then went the next 6 league games unbeaten and until the final 4 games we were challenging for the the title something not many would have predicted after our slip match.

Now here were are a bunch of very young, inexperienced and unpredicatable lads have gone onto retain the shield and get promoted to the top division.

Not a season I had predicted, after losing to slip I thought avoiding relegation was our aim for the season but the lads have stepped up and played beyond their years. Now can we make a dent in the top division or are we going to struggle, I think a lot of hard work needs to go in preseason if we don't want to become a bunch of whipping boys for the rest of the league.

Also got told today that Damien is on his way to Ian's new team so we are down a good man and need to try and find a replacement for him in the summer.

Anyway thankyou very much Slip for your insight and lessons early on and to Luke for leaving us.

I'm going to have to do some serious tapping up in the summer as Ian is in danger of stealing my title!!! Why would Damian want to stay in Div 2 rather than give it a go in Div 1? Sorry to hear that Rich, longer term contracts in the way forward I reckon !!

There are points for and against him going and had a good chat with him yesterday.

I am really gutted he is gone and even though I thought he would join Ian's new revolution, like you mentioned thought he may have wanted to give it a good go in Div 1 for a season. However these guys (Damien, Luke Alex etc) grew up with Ian in his youth club and Damien wants to go back to his roots and have a go at starting a new project where he started off as a youth as he felt he may not get a chance again, so I understand it. Damien also asked us to leave the door open just in case it doesn't work out which it will be. I would have loved to have pitted Damien against the big gun strikers in the 1st division but guess I wont be doing that now.

Another couple of points to make is firstly Damien plays for a Sunday team and a few of those guys, Otis, Crumb, Luke play with him and he is socially connected to these guys a lot and all these guys now play for Ian. Secondly when me and Joe started off the team it was made up of our friends and a few ex Sanctuary players so even though it had a small basis of players from the church the rest of the team were just mates not associated with Hillfields not even residentially. This season when we lost a few of those lads, Luke being the main one I really questioned if it was worth carrying on as it seemed we were losing players a lot, basically because most of our team weren't committed or saw Hillfields as their team (not through want of effort by me mind you). However in an amazing couple of weeks I inherited a number of local young players who just started coming, 5 of which were involved in the cup final. Myself and Joe were really praying that we would start impacting on the Hillfields estate as a football team and that we would gain players who wanted to play for and were committed to Hillfields and just when it looked like we'd lost a team, I really believe God answered our prayer. Damien was the last of the orginal group to leave and now despite losing a top goal scorer and a top defender among others we are full of local Hillfields lads all under 25 (except me) and if we need more players then I really believe God will send them, coz he does care, james our captian and shield hero, became a Christian through this team and I hope we can see more fruit come from running this team.

When Damien came to us he was a goalkeeper and we groomed him and took a punt on him playing central defence he is now one of the best so we can take some consolation in seeing one of our own being so highly rated by so many.

Just hope it doesn't cost us staying up as Damien has been key in getting us this far.