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Well, that was fun. Very little not to like. And, for what it’s worth, and unlike most, it seems, I have no problem with the first round of the Carabao Cup being a precursor to the real thing. Thought it worked quite well. A big step up from a friendly, a bigger crowd than they’d have had for, say, Auxerre at home, and a far more effective dress rehearsal for West Brom (h) than any ‘high profile’ warm-up game could muster. The only niggle was an even bigger niggle in the back for Mathias Kvistgaarden – the result of a whack from behind befitting of a lumbering lower-league defender who’d spent the whole game chasing shadows. For all his limitations when compared to Mo Toure or Jovon Makama, the Dane is a game little bugger, and to see him writhing around in agony was a sign that he was actually hurt … not something we can say for all. So, yeah, that was a disappointment, but let’s hope it’s no more than a contact injury that will be sore for a couple of days and then just go. We certainly don’t need another midweek injury bulletin of gloom from Big Phil. That, though, was the only downside, if we ignore, for now, the odd collywobble from set-pieces, including, of course, Franchise FC’s goal. Poor ol’ Vlad. Was still beaming from his good penalty save (note his acknowledgement to Declan Rudd mid-celebration, by the way) when those in front of him failed to deal with a harmless-looking corner, and MK were handed the most undeserved consolation in the history of football. But before I move on, please can those who pray spare one this morning for poor Callum Paterson, the victim of that vicious double assault that necessitated the visitors’ penalty. Poor lad … we’re lucky he’s still with us. Here’s to a swift recovery for the new face of Just-For-Men. But hey… it mattered not. Poor Callum’s head was probably already spinning from being pulled from pillar to post in the name of being run ragged by a City side that, as well as being much better than MK, was also noticeably fitter. As my son said to me just after the game, this time last season, we’d have probably drawn that game and then lost on pens as the chosen five would have barely enough energy to take them. This is different. Very different. Proper elite-level fitness. And sharpness. And hunger. Only for 40 seconds was there any doubt about who would win that game. Forty seconds of parity before the well-executed press won the ball back for City, and then Kenny – the same Kenny whose toe-in won the ball – delivered a perfect slide-ruler for Mo We’ve all seen the finish, right? Was of someone who didn’t have a great World Cup and who is now ready and raring to go to prove himself all over again. You have nothing to prove to us, Mo. Toure is generally considered to be a couple of kilometres behind Jovon Makama on his development path – and that feels fair to me – but when both are fully fit, he’ll be pushing hard. Work is clearly ongoing at Colney to improve his back-to-goal work; so too his awareness in the box, which revealed itself for the second goal when he declined the opportunity to shoot in favour of a clever chop to Slimane, for whom it became a tap-in. The third, too, was a courtesy of Mo assist – in my eyes at least – but Andre Brooks was denied his Carrow Road opener via the heel of Ben Chrisene, and so Brooks went from scorer to assister. To everyone’s relief, justice was done in the second half when some comedic defending from some comedic defenders handed Brooks a one-on-one that he took with the calmness of someone who was already starting to feel at home in his new surroundings. While there were moments when he didn’t look entirely au fait with the ebb and flow of a Philippe Clement side, for the most part he looked like someone who, even at this early stage, has made that right-wing berth his own. He’ll do for me. But there were good performances across the board, with Kenny and Pelle Mattsson having a field day in the centre of the pitch against players who were not in their class. Jacob Wright was another to catch the eye in his second-half cameo, with noticeable improvements in his physicality and comfort on the ball in the final third. He’s another who’s sniffing for a chance to start. Overall, as I said at the beginning, it was good and full of promise, and I see no obvious reason why this group, if the majority of them stay fit, cannot be competing at the top end of the Championship. There’s been a lot of online teeth-gnashing this week around the supposed strength of our peers – some are already lauding the fact that eighth is now a playoff place as “it’ll be the only way we’re getting near them” – but, and maybe it’s an age thing, I suggest we just wait and see how this plays out. Yes, teams have spent more than us this summer, and, yes, if Transfermarkt is your bible (get a life if it is), then we have the eighth or ninth most valuable squad in the league, but none of that takes into account us having the best coach in the Championship. It may happen for us, it may not – the Clement era will inevitably plateau at some point – but it’s fun again, and I’m glad the nucleus of this 2026-27 team is the one that bossed the division for most of the second half of 2025-26. Why are we all so fearful? Coventry City benefited massively last season from having a team that had essentially been together for two seasons, and so the fact we haven’t spent tens of millions in the name of another revolution is, to me, a positive. But… what do I know. I reckon we should all just strap in and enjoy the ride. See you next Saturday. OTBC.