Usually found in defence, Callum Blackford swapped his full-back role for the number ten shirt and delivered a dazzling performance to claim the first match ball of the new campaign.

In just six blistering minutes of the first half, Blackford struck a sensational hat-trick – two thunderous 20-yard finishes, both supplied by Jake Love, followed by a cool far-post finish from a right-wing cross.

The drama didn’t end there. FC Stratford fought back brilliantly to level the contest at 3-3 by the 52nd minute, but in the dying moments it was Blackford again at the heart of the action, this time turning provider for James Piatek, who slotted home the 95th-minute winner.

All of this unfolded at the home of Shakespeare. As the Bard himself wrote in The Tempest:

“O brave new world, that hath such people in’t!”

Well Done Callum!