Downy's Comeback.

Indeed.

And every player would have black boots and a short back and sides.

First day of the season today. You can't beat that freshly cut grass smell and the thought of the season ahead.

Had no intention of playing at all today. I was just dreading there being no ref again and having to fill in.

Turns out we had no 'keeper so I was asked if I could do it! A quick dash home for my boots and I was ready. My first touch was about three minutes in after a penalty decision against us. I had a quick feel and bounce of the ball then handed it to the ref. My second touch was picking it out of the net after diving the wrong way. We were 2-0 down about 20 minutes later when my Schmeichel star-fish didn't work. I did manage to tip a decent shot over the bar but I was beaten all ends up by a nice lob about 10 minutes later which luckily came back off the crossbar. 2-0 down at half-time and I can't remember us having a shot on target so it didn't look good.

With the wind in our favour for the second half their attacks were few and far between. They had also lost their best player (was fouled for the penalty and scored the second) to a pulled hamstring just before half-time. We were creating the better chances and their 'keeper was a lot busier than me. I was feeling more confident the longer the game went on and we pulled one back with about 15 minutes to play. We equalised from a free-kick in the dying minutes, now we had a point to lose and I could see me being the one to lose it!

We managed to see the game out for a credible draw. 90 minutes under my belt and feeling good. Hopefully I don't have to miss work with a bad back tomorrow or it will become a very expensive season!

Downy the fish! That's fantastic, mate, I'm really pleased it went well! Would you consider donning the number 1 jersey on a permanent basis if they needed it?

I abso-bloody-lutely loved every minute of the game today. Just being involved again gave me an immensely satisfying and happy feeling.

I think that all goalkeepers are missing something up top, a small portion of the brain, an overdose or lacking in a certain chemical (sorry, bblw).

Would I consider playing there all season?

As long as I was contributing in a positive way to the team and didn't feel like a liability the answer would be yes. If someone else could do a better job I'd be happy to step aside and concentrate on helping out in a different position.

At my age it's all about enjoying playing and keeping fit. Fingers crossed on both.

Feeling quite pleased with myself.

Next time I'm back in Stockport I'll get in touch.

Indeed, mate, and I'll keep mine crossed for you too!