Opinion: The hope is back… now let’s see if the Hatters can deliver

Pre-season is done – now it is time to look forward to the season!

As a fan who can’t really get all that excited about pre-season and who is annually joyously glad when it is all over, Monday felt like the start of the run up to Christmas as a child, with the anticipation now building towards the start of the new season. 

The campaign either begins this Saturday at Gillingham or next at Reading, depending on your thoughts on the Carabao Cup as a curtain-raiser, and there should be a lot to look forward to when it does, much more than in the last couple of campaigns. 

One thing I do like to see in pre-season is the team showing signs of being fit and all of the wonderful videos from the trip to Spain and the evidence in the friendlies that have taken place suggests we have two sets of XI who look fit for the rigours of a League One campaign, something which hasn’t been immediately evident in recent pre-seasons. 

It would have been nice to remain unbeaten throughout pre-season but the more important thing was to have had a decent test, which the Go Ahead Eagles game was, and when you consider they were competing in Europe last term and beating Aston Villa, to only go down 1-0 was no bad effort. 

That tells me that we are ready to rumble this season and then the mind moves towards what to expect from the upcoming campaign. 

A squad with promotion winning potential playing high tempo, attacking football in a division we know we can more than compete in after the exploits at the back end of last season, with a determined manager and a crop of stellar looking youngsters looking to break through – it is almost like the good times have returned!

Of course, expectations are going to be high after that run from March onwards, but you get the feeling that having signed a couple of winners we are ready for the task. 

As a fan there are trips to some big stadiums to look forward to with Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday in the division, even if the latter has been moved to a 12.30pm kick-off (insert annoyed emoji), as well as a pair of new grounds with Bromley and MK Dons to be visited for the first time.

With some big challenges, a good squad and a manager in Jack Wilshere who knows what he is doing, everything is in place for a fantastic nine months. 

Roll on Reading!