You kind of wonder why you do it sometimes.
Why you get up at 6 or 7 in the morning to travel the length of the country to go to a cold and windy field in Donegal. Why you've spent the last four months counting down to the end of February. Why you've picked up a weekly planner and dotted out where you'll spend your Friday nights for the next six months. Why you don't just fit in with the rest and flick on the telly to watch the Big Bang Theory with a battered sausage and chips
And then you remember
You've got the future of Irish football in front of you. Your club is kicking off, and the rush that I got when I got into Finn Park is the same rush I get whenever I stroll into the Cross. That rush is what will keep me going until November. Rebel Radio's first league game of the year in probably the worst conditions. Naturally, I was late (running gimmick with our streams)
Everything was smooth (apart from the pitch) - the Finn Harps staff are among the nicest we've encountered in the league so far, their half time grub was fantastic and the overall feel of the place is magnificent. They're involved in the community and it shows.
On the game itself, Finn Harps will grab results off teams in Ballybofey. Three points was what was required, three points was what we got. Now we've a nice home game on a spring night against a disheartened Galway United following their defeat to Drogheda United.
I'd like to think that we might break 5,000 on the attendance, but that's wishful thinking with decent weather. We'll be back in Finn Park in June
So we're up and running for season number five. A long hard and winding road lies ahead - with plenty of arguments, wrong turns, podcasts, predictions and hopeless #bantz.
It's good to be back.