FIVE days and counting!

It's that time of year all footballers live for - the start of a new season and, speaking from experience, the overriding feeling is desperation.

Desperation for three points and a good start. It doesn't matter how you get them and the main thing any manager will say is don't get beat.

But if you can win your first game it gives everyone a massive lift.

These days the tables are ridiculously dragged out after one game, but no-one will argue that seeing yourself sitting at the top of the table is the best feeling in the world

And that's only if you are fan studying the table for hours on a Sunday morning, so imagine the feeling if you are a player responsible!

It is as if everything you have trained for in pre-season has come to fruition and it can set the tone for the tough winter to come.

By definition, exactly the opposite feeling sets in if you get beat. What did we do wrong in pre-season? Why us? Here we go again!

Actually I'm pretty confident of getting a result on the opening day. Anything can happen because there is no such word as form when the first whistle blows.

Everyone starts on a level playing field, but Steve Cotterill will be bursting to send the fans home happy in his first meaningful game in charge.

The other thing that always seems to happen is the sun shines. It's almost as if summertime waits for the start of a new season to kick in and, invariably, the stands are awash with colour as fans show off the latest kit designs.

It all adds up to one of the best days a footballer could wish for - an end to all that tiring training and the start of the real action.

It is noticeable that Steve has concentrated most of his efforts this summer on signing defenders to improve what was a pretty woeful defensive record last season.

And the early signs are promising, if not electrifying. We might still be waiting for that first clean sheet, but it's still been a decent pre-season with just the one defeat.

Nobody has run riot against us and at five pm on Saturday, who will remember Dundee United if Neil Warnock is sent packing back over the Pennines with his tail between his legs?

So all that remains is for me to wish Steve and the lads all the best, whatever fate has in store.

Come on you Clarets!