City played their final League One match of August yesterday and saved their best performance for matchday 5 of the new season.

Some of the football played in the first half of yesterday’s match against Reading was a joy to watch. Quite possibly, this was the best 40-45 minutes that City have produced for some time, with the Reading equaliser being the only blemish on an otherwise dominant first half.

Tom Carroll & Ryan Trevitt were again superb in the middle of the pitch and had a good control of the game. Carroll always appears calm on the ball and is never flustered when having the ball at this feet. These 2 are showing extremely promising signs and if the first few games are anything to go by, City fans are going to be treated to some lovely football this season. Indeed, this appears to be our most technically gifted midfield since the days of Ryan Harley & David Noble.

Reece Cole also adds energy and technical ability to the midfield and has added a different dimension to City’s attack with his ability in the dead ball situation and his ability to whip dangerous crosses into the box. With Harry Kite still to come back into the squad and Kyle Taylor slowly working his way back up to fitness, City also have plenty of energy in those midfield areas.

City’s wing play is also providing a good outlet for the team, with speed aplenty from the likes of Rankine, Mitchell, Harper & the new recruit Niskinen. The Finn had an impressive debut yesterday and was full of powerful running. He appears to be a player that has a high work rate, which is vital for that wing back role.

Chelsea loanee Rankine is showing plenty of promise, but as yet, has been unable to find a consistent end product. This isn’t a massive shock, with the youngster getting his first taste of senior football this season. Patience was always going to be needed with some of these younger players. The arrival of Niskinen should relieve some of the pressure on Rankine, who will now likely have his game time managed more.

In the last couple of games, Rankine has been deployed further up the pitch where his pace has been deployed against opposition defences. This does create moments of promise for City and as mentioned previously, if his end product can improve, he will be a real handful in the final third.

On the opposite side, Zak Jules is being deployed mainly as a left wing back, allowing Demitri Mitchell to push further up the field and use his speed and power to attack the opponents backline. Vinny Harper is proving a capable back up for both Jules & Mitchell.

Jules was initially expected to challenge Alex Hartridge for the LCB position, but the academy graduate’s superb start to the season has pushed Jules out to the flank. His strength and power are proving effective in that position.

City’s back three, the source of much concern before the campaign began, have really stepped up and are generally looking very solid in matches. Hartridge has excelled, Sweeney has been his reliable self and Will Aimson has added a couple of important goals to his game.

City’s defenders have also been asked to play the ball out a lot more, aided by the impressive Vil Sinisalo. Caldwell’s style is definitely starting to show, with possession being the key and play being built up patiently from the back. I think it’s fair to say that City’s centre backs are not necessarily known for their ball playing, but they are adapting very well to what the Manager is asking of them.

The one area of concern for City has to be the forward line. Injury to James Scott could not have come at a worse time for both City, and Scott himself. An impressive start to the season saw Scott gain in confidence and his all round game improved. City youngster Sonny Cox has also picked up a knock that kept him out of the matchday squad at the weekend. This left only Jack Aitchison (seen more as a No 10) & Sam Nombe as the only fit strikers for the Reading fixture.

Rumours are again swirling around Nombe, with a number of clubs, including Barnsley, Birmingham, Wrexham & Rotherham showing an interest. Looking at this quartet of clubs, I would presume Rotherham to be the least likely destination, due to the financial pulling power of the other clubs involved.

If City do lose Nombe before the window shuts on Friday, he is going to be extremely tough to replace. While he hasn’t netted a goal yet this season, it’s his playing style that will be missed the most. His tireless pressing and running of the channels is vital for City, with Nombe often being the first line of defence, as well as giving us an outlet.

We can only hope that Caldwell & Marcus Flitcroft have identified attainable targets in a similar mould to Nombe, should the former MK Dons man move on.

If the scenes at the end of Saturday’s game are anything to go by, it looks like a departure is the most likely outcome. While City boss Caldwell downplayed the scenes, it most certainly looked to be a goodbye from Nombe.

Super Sam moved forward and raised his arms in the air, clapping along to the Bank’s rendition of “we travel near and far”. A number of other players could be seen giving Nombe a hug and shaking his hand. If this was to be Nombe’s last appearance at SJP, it was fitting that we signed off with a win, and that the popular striker could properly say goodbye to the City faithful.

A Nombe departure would leave City very short up front. It would most likely leave us needing 2 acquisitions in that position to be fully equipped.

One thing for sure, City have started the season in very impressive fashion and have done as well as could have been expected. We have already played fancied teams in Blackpool & Portsmouth, with 3 of our opening fixtures being played away from home. 10 points from a possible 15 is a great start, which many supporters were not expecting.

September sees City having to play Burton, Orient, Cheltenham & Northampton, as well as pace setters Oxford United. On paper at least, September looks like a month where City can realistically look to target another 10 points. If we were to achieve that, it will have been an excellent start to the campaign.

The results have been very good and the football has been very enjoyable. Long may it continue.