Time to do it all over again
You can sense that faint click of the turnstile, hear the drum ringing in your ears.
You can even smell the stench of pies and Bovril emanating from the food stalls.
Summer is just about over — the football season is already upon us.
Less than two months have passed since scenes of jubilation saw the hoards spill from the stands and onto the hallowed Greenhill Road turf.
The cheers echoed around Ferguslie Park as St Mirren somehow clawed themselves back from the brink of a cataclysmic return to the Championship under the stewardship of Oran Kearney.
It was a fairy tale that ultimately had a sour ending.
But, then again, it wouldn’t be a St Mirren summer without the drama that inevitably seems to follow.
Kearney’s departure was originally seen as a blow, but a blow that saw the Buddies board bounce back like Rocky Balboa courtesy of the knockout appointment of Jim Goodwin.
That right there is why the majority of St Mirren supporters hold out hope of a successful season.
Every player to a man appears lifted by Goodwin’s arrival.
His enthusiasm for the club is infectious and is clearly rubbing off on those under his guidance.
Comparisons to Jack Ross haven’t been far away and it is easy to see why when viewing Goodwin’s coaching up close.
His attention to detail is impeccable, while the players and staff around the club seem genuinely uplifted — a common trait from JR’s time in Paisley.
In a results- driven business, the manager is under no illusions that he is expected to deliver straight from the off.
I know, the Betfred Cup couldn’t have gone any worse, while Twitter spats among some have at least raised a giggle as farcical scenes dogged social media for what seemed an eternity.
This week’s flurry of signings have at least raised some intrigue, if not some much-needed excitement.
But all that has failed to curb the enthusiasm ahead of tomorrow’s capital city showdown between the Saints and Hibernian.
That kick-starts a baptism of fire for Goodwin as St Mirren then prepare to take on Aberdeen and Rangers in the intertwining weeks.
It wouldn’t be much more difficult if Morton season-ticket holders had been given the chance to give Saints the toughest possible start.
It should, therefore, go without saying that the Buddies should at least be afford some time off the field, even if they can’t be afforded any off the pitch.
All in all, it is just another season to get ourselves strapped in for.
The unpredictability of following this fine club is something that is in our blood. In in a weird sort of way, it is what we live for.
The signing of a random Turk that no-one has ever heard of, the fear of heading into the first game with barely enough players to field a squad, daring to dream that this could be the year ... it will never change.
For all the moaning, we can’t get enough.