By CCFC Sid
August 7 2004

CCFC start the season with a televised match against Mick McCarthy's Sunderland. As usual for the opening day fixture, the weather is glorious - let's hope the football is too. If I had to choose though, I hope CCFC rather than `football' is the winner! A good start is essential.... This time there's no ridiculous thoughts of automatic promotion, or even of making the play-offs. While it might not be out of reach (Just ask Portsmouth fans how they thought they would do two seasons ago!), this is a fairly strong looking division, and CCFC go into it with the usual batch of untried youngsters with potential (Yawn), a few players `giving it another go at another club', and a few dinosaurs (Had Peter Reid brought in a few more of the players he was after, the entire side could have been filled with over 30s!).

We've finally signed a back-up keeper (All-be-it on a one month contract), but are lacking competition for Staunton at left-back (With Stuart Giddings for some reason not being given a squad number), in the centre of defence (With the player who looks capable of filling one space, Sean Cooney, having picked up yet another injury), and still haven't found ourselves a target man - so Adebola is probably going to get yet another chance.

Missing out on Rebrov was a blow, as a player of his quality should score goals for fun in this division - as was missing out on Sheringham. If West Ham break every goalscoring record going this season, CCFC fans will only be left wondering what might have been. We were promised `big names' (By the chairman rather than the manager), but, unless you count Tim Sherwood, they failed to materialise. A season without false promises would be welcome by all that pay to watch at Highfield Road.

Time to go and put on the loud music in preparation for the new season....

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