First Day Nerves?

With the fixtures for next season now only a couple of weeks away, how important could opening day be for the Silkmen?

After a string of home games on opening day, the Silkmen have been away since 2004.

But more telling is that the Silkmen have only won THREE times on the first day of the season, since joining the Football League.

And in those three seasons, the Silkmen have been in a promotion hunt, or actually promoted twice, whilst achieving their highest other finish in the season of that third win.

Those first-day victories came famously in the opening day of the 1997/1998 season where Efe Sodje and Richard Landon scored the goals in a 2-1 win.

The season after relegation back to League two, Sammy McIlroy’s men beat Northampton Town 1-0, thanks to Ritchie Barker and went on to finish 13th.

That would be the club’s highest finish until the 2004/2005 season, which started with a 3-1 win courtesy of two from Jon Parkin (pictured) and one from Matty Tipton, and ended with the play-off semi finals.

Full first day record:

1997/8 W 2-1 – Torquay – Promoted
1998/9 L 0-1 – Fulham
1999/0 W 1-0 – Northampton
2000/1 L 0-1 – Scunthorpe
2001/2 L 1-3 – Swansea
2002/3 D 1-1 – York
2003/4 D 0-0 – Boston
2004/5 W 3-1 – Orient – Playoffs
2005/6 L 1-2 – Orient
2006/7 L 0-4 – Darlington
2007/8 D 1-1 – Bradford