In at number five on my rundown of the best opening day matches of my Imps’ fandom is a game we couldn’t be at.
After a summer of uncertainty and behind-closed-doors football, we returned to league action against one of the toughest possible opponents, and emerged with a performance that not only delivered three points, but restored faith in what this new-look Imps side could become under Michael Appleton.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t an easy assignment. Oxford United were play-off finalists just two months prior and had dismantled us by an aggregate score of 7–0 the previous season. They were settled, seasoned, and packed with quality players with European pedigree, including one who’d appeared for Barcelona in the Catalan Cup Final. If opening days are supposed to ease you into a campaign, this was the exception.
And yet, from the moment the whistle blew we didn’t just compete. We dictated, adapted, and ultimately triumphed.
There was already a sense that this was more than just another opening day. This was Appleton’s first full campaign with a squad sculpted more in his image. It came with new kits, new faces, and the ‘new normal’ of iFollow streams and empty stands. But it was also our tenth consecutive unbeaten opening day, a run that, for all the struggles we’ve had in the past, now feels like a hallmark of our stability.
The team selection surprised many. Sean Roughan, just 17 and nominally a centre-back, got the nod at left-back. Jorge Grant, so often our creative force, slotted into a deeper midfield role. Harry Anderson started again, his fifth successive season opener for us, despite the usual summer murmurings that his time might be up.
Anderson would prove crucial, linking up with TJ Eyoma down the right and providing the assist for the opening goal inside five minutes. His cross was perfect, and Anthony Scully’s header, glanced down and beyond the Oxford keeper, was exactly the start we’d barely dared to dream of.
From there, the game took on a familiar shape. Oxford dominated the ball, but we controlled the space. That distinction mattered. Time and again, they probed and recycled, but our compact shape frustrated them. Connor McGrandles and James Jones ran themselves into the ground closing gaps, with Jorge Grant orchestrating from deep.
This wasn’t a rehash of last season’s League Two-winning side, which ground out results with physicality and directness. Nor was it a purely possession-based team like Appleton’s Oxford of old. This was something new, an effective hybrid. Organised, composed, and brave enough to let Oxford have the ball where it didn’t hurt us.
At the heart of it was the back four, where Roughan didn’t just hold his own: he shone. His deliveries from the left were inch-perfect, his defensive positioning sound. TJ Eyoma was a different type of threat altogether: physically imposing, tidy in possession, and unafraid to put in a crunching tackle. His challenge on Josh Ruffels midway through the second half was clean but thunderous, forcing the Oxford man off and earning Eyoma approving nods from every old-school fan watching at home.
Alex Palmer, making his league debut for us in goal, had little to do in the first half. But when Oxford inevitably applied more pressure after the break, he came to the fore. Cameron Brannagan tested him with a powerful drive around the hour mark, but it was a flurry of chances late on that showcased just how important he could be.
First, Matty Taylor’s volley was palmed away. Then, with bodies flying and space closing rapidly, Palmer somehow reacted to stop a cool finish from Mark Sykes. It was a double save that, had fans been in the ground, would have drawn a standing ovation to match the cheers for our two goals.
Before all that drama, we’d already found a second. A clever free-kick won by Tom Hopper on the right was floated in by James Jones, and Adam Jackson rose highest to nod home on debut. Two goals, two headers, and a two-goal cushion against one of the division’s fancied sides. It felt like more than just a win. It felt like a statement.
What struck me most wasn’t just the individuals who played well, though Roughan, Eyoma, Palmer, Anderson, and Scully all deserve individual praise. It was how cohesive we looked. Everyone had a role. Everyone delivered. From the press in midfield to the energy out wide and the composure at the back, this was a display of belief and understanding.
Even the red card late on for Rob Atkinson, who scythed down Anderson after a brilliant solo run, couldn’t take the gloss off it. Nor could the somewhat harsh booking for Roughan as he exited the pitch after a dream debut.
We know nothing is won on day one, but something was certainly gained: belief. Three games into the Appleton era proper, and we’d conceded just one goal and scored five. Not one player had scored more than once, five goals, five different names. That’s not just depth; that’s a team.
You must be logged in to post a comment.