Lincoln City marked their return to the second tier of English football for the first time since 1961 with a 3-1 defeat to Portsmouth at Sincil Bank, yet the occasion was defined by celebration rather than disappointment. The Imps, who won League One last season with over 100 points, hosted their first Championship match in more than six decades in front of a crowd of 10,545, the largest attendance at the ground in over 40 years.
The match, played on a sunny Saturday lunchtime in the historic city, saw Portsmouth secure their first win of the season with goals from Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, Adrian Segecic, and Ebou Adams, the latter striking in the 69th minute. Reeco Hackett scored a penalty for Lincoln before the break, becoming the first Imps player to net a second-tier goal at Sincil Bank since Joe Buick in April 1961.
A historic homecoming for the Imps
Lincoln's last second-tier home game was a 2-0 victory over Leyton Orient in 1961, a time when Yuri Gagarin had only just returned from space. The club's rise has been remarkable, from non-league to the Championship in just 10 years, a journey that has captured the imagination of supporters and the wider EFL community.
The club has invested £10m over the summer to modernise Sincil Bank, adding a new fan village, a big screen, and upgrades to the stands, which were almost sold out for the occasion. The revamped Stacey West Stand bears the name of two fans who died in the Bradford fire disaster of 1985, and family zones were packed with young supporters eager to see their new heroes.
On-pitch changes and enduring traditions
In the dugout, Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw have jointly taken over from Michael Skubala, but some traditions remain unchanged. The air raid siren, a nod to the city's military history, still sounds when Lincoln win a corner, and the team continues to play a traditional 4-4-2 formation that has served them well in their rise through the leagues.
Despite the defeat, the mood among supporters was upbeat, with many staying behind in the new fan village to discuss the match. The togetherness between fans and team is central to the club's identity, and two defeats at the start of the season have not dampened spirits.
Portsmouth underline the step up in quality
Had Ben House scored when through on goal early on, the afternoon might have been one of celebration, but Portsmouth's quality soon showed. The visitors went 2-0 ahead with strikes from Kavuma-McQueen and Segecic before Hackett's penalty gave Lincoln hope, only for Adams to seal the win for Pompey.
"It's been an amazing day for the club," Shaw said. "The atmosphere was fantastic at the start of the game and it all aligned lovely until the goal. People have waited a long time to have a Championship football match here and I desperately hope we can have some good results here. But the ball moves around a bit quicker at this level, the quality increases so we've got to be a bit more alive to certain situations."
A beacon of hope for the EFL
Lincoln's success story is seen as a beacon of hope for the EFL, demonstrating that success can be achieved without aggressively spending beyond one's means. The club won League Two in 2019 and League One last season with a mid-table budget, defying expectations against teams like Cardiff, Luton, and Bolton.
This season, Lincoln are not expected to survive in the Championship, but with their spirit of togetherness and deep-rooted connection between supporters and team, they are determined to give it a thorough go. The club remains firmly in touch with what matters most, and the historic afternoon at Sincil Bank was a testament to how far they have come.
