Meanwhile we supporters have been wondering whatever happened to that summer, while we've been chomping at the bit to get back to the Gardens after what seems like an age.

A year ago when writing this column I wrote the following 'in all truth we should have the firepower at our disposal to win this division and come close to not losing a game all season'.

How I wish I could write the same again with some conviction, but the truth this time round is that on our return to the Guinness Premiership we will probably lose more than a few but, in all honesty, would we really have it any other way?

While some supporters might be quite happy with last season's win after win after win, I know a lot of people were hankering for something else.

They were hankeering for games against stronger opposition, the do-or-die battles of attrition, the cut and thrust of games that were not decided until the dying seconds, even though we might be on the wrong end of those type of games every now and then.

Last season, as the National League One campaign progressed, it became more and more of a cakewalk.

We even played badly on a couple of occasions and still won.

Yes of course it was nice to pick up the silverware, but thankfully that 'luxury' of almost certain victory will be a thing of the past this term.

Quite simply, if you are nowhere near the top of your game you will get punished for it in what looks like the most open and competitive Guinness Premiership season yet.

On the day any side will be well capable of beating any other, and there are sure to be a few shock results along the way – let's hope that it's us handing them out rather than being on the receiving end.

The pundits have had their say and most place us around ninth in the table, but given how unpredictable it all looks this season, who knows?

A solid start with us holding our own and by Christmas an assault on a Heineken Cup place might be a possibility, but the first priority is of course stability and survival.

One thing is for sure this season, it's a massive step up in class and it's going to be tough.

And after the high flying of last season it looks like for the first time in more than a year it is time to pull the dust covers off the Saints' emotional roller coaster.

I'm looking forward to the ride.