Another interesting week for Sutton United Football Club ended with a solid win over Ebbsfleet.

The performance and result against strong opposition suggests the side is well and truly ready for the season opener against Solihull Moors on August 6. 

Another major talking point of last Saturday was the signing of Chris Dickson, a striker who has had an impressive career including two caps for Ghana and a goal in the Champions League with Cypriot side AEL Limassol.

I do think another striker was needed at the club with Tommy Wright away at Salisbury, and hopefully Dickson can come up with the goods.

It will be intriguing to see if Doswell sticks with a one-striker formation, leaving Dan Fitchett to battle Dickson for a place, or switches the system to accommodate both of them.

It is, I suppose, better to have this tactical headache than not.

While Solihull may be considered a relative unknown, I imagine they would have been well scouted in pre-season and Paul Doswell will feel confident, though still expecting a tough game against a side who won the National League North title by nine points last season.

If talk arises about the long run of opening day defeats Sutton United have suffered over recent years it is worth pointing out these kind of records are technically pointless and carry value only in stats books – only the most recent opening day defeat involved a significant number of the current side.

It is vital the fans really get behind the team vocally, not just against Solihull, but throughout the season.

I’m looking forward to a new adventure this season, but it’s certainly not one we should fear as a club and who knows, we could very well replicate Braintree and Dover’s achievements and push for a playoff spot.