Opening Day Omens

Opening Day Factors

There is no doubt that Swansea fans will arrive at the Vetch on Saturday looking for a win and 84% of those Swans fans on-line currently believe that we will beat Bury on Saturday and get our season off to a flyer.

A similar poll ahead of last season’s first game showed that less than 60% of fans believed we would pick up three points with one in four believing that we were heading towards an opening day defeat. This time we have complete reversals with only 1 in 25 people predicting that we will end up pointless come 5pm on Saturday.

I am firmly in the camp that believes we can expect a win on Saturday and also think that we probably need a win to keep the fans coming back to the Vetch. We know that a section of Swansea fans can be fickle and a defeat on Saturday may make them stay away thinking that we are about to go through the mill again and start flirting with relegation. Pure garbage as we know from one game but I will guarantee that there will be those out there that will think it.

So what are the omens? Well, pretty good if I am to be honest. Of the last 10 opening day fixtures we have been beaten just twice and have five victories under our belt. One of those, two years ago at Macclesfield saw Gareth Phillips record the first goal of the football league season as early as the second minute. Shame it all went down hill from that game onwards but the omens were good.

But look at this for a co-incidence. During the past ten seasons, the Swans have tasted two pieces of success. The Autoglass Trophy in 1994 and the Third Division championship in 2000. Both of those seasons were built around defeat on the opening day. Our only promotion in the past 15 years has been built around our only opening day defeat in the past nine years. So that’s one to tell the bloke next to you if he starts moaning if things don’t go to plan on Saturday.

If you look on the other hand, opening day draws against the likes of Wigan (2000/2001) and Rushden (last season) ended once with relegation (2001) and near disaster (last season) so you can’t judge anything from the opening day.

I also remember being present at the Vetch back in 1998, after the Northampton play-off and watching us beat Brighton on the opening day and murdering Scunthorpe two weeks later and watching it all go wrong from there (remember the 7-4 defeat against Hull?)

7 of the past 10 opening days have been spent at the Vetch and with 4 wins and 3 draws we have every right to think that playing at home to start off is a great omen.

Football of course is not built around omens but let’s remember that if the worst happens and we are beaten on Saturday then it isn’t the end of the world and the ‘master plan’ is not designed for certain failure – it’s a set back not a disaster – and didn’t someone once say something about Marathons and Sprints?

Let’s just bring it on and take whatever this season is going to throw at us – we’ve survived the worst – things can only get better.

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