CONFERENCE: ROUND-UP - EXCITING START TO 2004/05 SEASON

The 2004/05 Nationwide Conference season kicked-off amidst great expectation and anticipation on Saturday, and it was certainly an opening day to remember.

Newcomers to the Nationwide Conference, Carlisle and Canvey Island, may not have managed a goal between them at Brunton Park, but the attendance of 7,234 was easily the highest of the weekend, and for last season's Ryman Premier League champions a point in Cumbria was a superb start to their campaign.

Southern League winners Crawley Town went one better as they began life in the Nationwide Conference with a 2-1 win at Leigh RMI, while York were given little time to settle in as last season's unfortunate play-off penalty shoot-out losers Aldershot beat them 2-0 at The Recreation Ground.

Four teams sit above 'The Shots' in the first Nationwide Conference table of 2004/05 however, after Accrington Stanley, Barnet, Dagenham & Redbridge, and Hereford all recorded impressive 3-1 home wins to put them among the (very!) early leaders; Burton Albion, Forest Green Rovers, Stevenage Borough, and Farnborough Town their respective beaten opponents.

One-time Stevenage FA Cup hero Guiliano Grazioli (pictured) grabbed two goals for Barnet at Underhill, to steal the limelight on the first Saturday of the season.

Meanwhile, two more of the FA Cup's perennial would-be giant-killers Scarborough and Woking met at The McCain Stadium, but it seems the chips were down (apologies for the dreadful pun) for the visitors as the home side ran out 2-0 winners.

The only remaining matches in the Nationwide Conference saw Tamworth record a 2-1 win over Halifax Town, with Steve Haslam seeing red for The Shaymen, Exeter and Morecambe share the points after a goal apiece at St James' Park and Gravesend & Northfleet draw 2-2 with Northwich Victoria.