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Well the season is now well and truly upon us, pre season is over the moans and the grumbles have to stopped as we are all geared up and ready for the new season.

I thought as a seaon opener this could have been a tricky one, Interlink are a very physical side who aren't afraid to put themselves about. However i felt yesterday we conducted ourselves like true gentle man. There were a few challenges that got out of hand, but i felt every body was interested in playing the game than getting itno fights.

Ratings :
before anybody gets bent out of shape these are my opinons, and at the end of the day I don't pick the team so they don't really matter.

Ed Poli GK - 7/10
Making his league debut on only his second outing for Newbury Forest look very assured within the sticks. Seems to have slipped in without any hassle made so vital saves and cruical moments. I think he will do very well this year

Dan aka Cafu RB - 7/10
Another making his debut in the league for NF. Always looks comfortable on the ball, doesn't seem to waste an opportunity, and likes to get forward to support the midfield and forwards. Oh i can see porn in a jar coming along

Rob "Carlos" Hurst LB - 7/10
Loving his work, quite it simple, made the ball do the work which enabled both full backs at times to push on and support our forward play at times. made many good interceptions, and kept the robbie La famous jinkying runs to a minimum. good way to start the season

Marc Wakley (Founder) CB 8/10 (make sure of vote for PPY)
There may have been a few who had raised eye brows when he said he wanted to play out on pitch, me being one of them. but i have to admit the more I see him play there the more I think why the hell didn't we think of this before. Did the simple things well, and that's all you ask of a player.

Gary "GDM" Murphy CB 8/10
i have to admit as much as i take the piss and call him Batfink, he always seem sto get the job done. very machine like, if i didn't know better I'd think he was German. Partnership with Wakley coming on very well. Ball retention between the defence was bordering porn in a jar status. It seems he has caried on from where he left off last year.

John Hassan aka Big John DM 7/10
i won't lie i have been thinking that Big john's place in the team could be under treat, but his performance yesterday was back up to its normal level. Work rate, distribution and general effort was all there to see. i don't think i saw him lose a ball once in the air. keep it going wanna be Keano you may soon reach kasier status.

Mike "Marlon Harewood" AM 7/10
Some may say he's slow doesn't look interested and not up to this level, now enough about Harewood and back onto Mike. another Debut boy with a good performace under his belt. Adds some more steel and presence to the team, but he's not just a bruiser, he can play a bit to, ensured we had bodies in the box when we went forward solid performance

John "Little John" AM 9/10
I think by the middle of the season we may run out of superlatives for the kid. Fantastic performance, took his goal well, was box to box a bundle of energy. I think this could be a gem in the making. Was my MOM on his debut

Frankie Javier Rodregiez Perez WR 8/10
Another with buddles of enjoy up and down all game. Showed a different side to his game that I didn't think he had. Delivered some excellent and dangerous balls into the box from wide, but never neglected his defensive duties when their full bacl pushed on. If he keeps this kind of performance going then he will make it hard for the selectors to leave him out.

Ricky "Granddad of the Team" Blanks WR N/A Unfortunately twisted his ankle early in the game and didn't have a chance to get more involved. I think tis would have been a game he would have done well in, due to the time and space given to the forwards.

Alfie "Mr Mpenza" Egembah CF 7/10
i thought it was an okay game for me self, felt i was always invovled in the game never had a time to stop. The pace we had up top enabled us to have many quick attacks, and chances created. Thought I should of scored with at least one of the chances I had, and if i were a few inchs taller would have reached Frankie's cross. Good game to open the season

Subs:

Lee "Henry" Nicholls 7/10
came on as an early sub for Blanks and looked liveily up top, work hard within the front 3 to closed down, but gave width when we had the ball, took his goal wonderfully. this could be the goal poacher needed within the team.

Dave "Oh my brother plays in goal by the way" Poli 7/10
Tireless worker up top, went for every ball and enabled us to have a target man to play up to. gave us a platform to play in the second half, which in turn lead to NF knocking the ball around quite nicely.

Chris "Dirty Fouling Bum" Woolbank 7/10
The fact that this kid cam on and kicked 2 people and just kept on going was wonderful. always looked busy and wasn't afraid to get stuck in. At 16 could yet turn out to be another fine find. And who said playing that game in the park was worthless?

Well i think that's all folks, it was a good start to the season, but lets not get carried away. we played well but it wasn't perfect. We have to remember that we were missing players like Del, Z, Jonno, Snake, Nas, Danny. now all of these guys are gonna want to have a place in the team. It's up to those in starting position to keep your places.it was a good performance, clean sheet, team harmony, work rate, FORMATION. but this is only the tip of the iceberg. There is a long way to go, but hey the glass is half full not half empty.

On that note i bid you good night