How can it be that this season is only 6 league games old before today? We seem to have been going for ages now and with the JPT and league cup to contend with, the games are coming thick and fast and sometimes it's easy to forget which competition you're actually competing in on that day.
Today was back to league action though and the fourth home game of the season against a Hartlepool side that gave us a tough game earlier this month in the JPT. They were probably the best footballing side we'd seen to date in all fairness and so I was quite optimistic of seeing a decent game as we headed down to Filbert Way in the bright sunshine.
Pre game rituals were few and far between today as a quick stop in the bookies (bloody Arsenal), and the last few minutes of the merseyside derby dominated the proceedings. With my head throbbing from the night before, even contemplating the hair of the dog just pushed my stomach onto the fast spin cycle normally only associated with industrial washing machines. Jimmy Bullard was there taking pictures in his own brilliant fashion. This time he was following the Birch round on his pre-game presentations and clearly enjoying his job as club photographer and premiership player look-a-like. Legend!
The game itself got off to a flyer as a quick through ball released Lloyd Dyer who passed it across the keeper for Matt Oakley to bundle it in somehow. Yet another contendor for scrappiest goal of the season after Fryatt's effort at Orient. Still they all count and the celebrations started and the players headed back to the centre for the second kick off of the opening three minutes.
Two footballing sides, an early goal to open things up.... this would surely get the crowd going and set the scene for a classic high scoring game ..... or not. The crowd fell flat after the early goal and although I was thankful for this with my sore head, it left an eerie feel to the game and gave it a pre-season feel once more.
Both teams attacked and it was quite an entertainment match in all honesty but the crowd of 18,000 were about as much in the game as Filbert Fox. The pace of Lloyd Dyer always caused the visiting side trouble and a few chances failed to find the back of the net as Fryatt and Howard didn't find things going their way.
Defensively we were sound once more and David Martin only had one real save to make from a corner and to be fair, it was a good save. I've been quite the critic of Martin in his games and still retain belief that he is the second best keeper we have at the club and that Henderson has been harshly treated. Four games, four clean sheets and still on the bench. Interesting!
As the game drew to a slow end with Hartlepool starting to press for the equaliser, even Filbert Fox looked a little uninterested in joining in with the usual abuse for goalkeepers taking their goal kicks. 
So another win, and our solid start to the season continues. Not the most memorable game that we will have this season and despite it being fairly entertaining, it missed that X-Factor that makes these things stand out in your memory. Come the end of the season, this game will just be another fact and one for the record books. It won't make the highlight reels and it won't be one that you tell the grandkids about in your rocking chairs but it was a solid performance and so no complaints from me. Plus if we win on Tuesday night in Colchester, we'll head back to the top of the league and what at the moment feels like a solid start, will actually suddenly appear to be a brilliant one. See you at ground number 50!
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