The first signs of a season

Anders Holmström is the primary figure. He has already claimed the golden boot with a single goal. His movement suggests a reasonably efficient link between the midfield and the attack, though the sample size is admittedly negligible. He managed to find the net for Kirkby, whose victory was an exercise in surviving a collapse.

Beyond the scorers, the impact of a player is often seen in the pressures they apply. While the league table shows Marlborough, Sussex, and Stepney at the top, the underlying metrics for those players who drove the progressive carries in those wins are more telling. The ability to move the ball into the final third is a reliable indicator of success, provided the finishing holds up.

Then there is the quiet toil of the defenders. The teams at the bottom, such as Aigburth, Bitterne, and Edgbaston, will be looking at the xG conceded. There is a particular kind of grim satisfaction in a defender who spends ninety minutes clearing the ball into the stands to protect a losing scoreline. It is not art, but it is effort.

The numbers tell you who won. They do not tell you why. There is a short window before Matchday 2 to decide if Holmström is a genuine threat or simply the beneficiary of a lucky bounce. Most of us will spend the next twenty four hours pretending we have seen enough to predict the title winner. It is a hopeful habit.