League One's winners and losers - Lincoln soar as Portsmouth and Peterborough roar but Ipswich stutter as Northampton and Fleetwood flounder

Pompey

Only one place to start as Pompey got their season firing at the Pirelli Stadium.

Not only was this a maiden league victory for Kenny Jackett’s side - but it was one achieved with the pressure ramped up to the maximum.

The first-half defensive errors saw the Blues shoot themselves in the foot, but the way in which they responded gave a definitive response to the questions of their character which have been aired since the Wigan loss.

The attacking threat saw Pompey score four times in the league for the first time this year, and the interplay between the attacking quartet offered cause for optimism moving forward.

Marcus Harness emerged as a big individual winner as he left his former club with the matchball, with one of the best hat-tricks you’ll likely to see this season.

But so was Ellis Harrison, whose return to leading the line gave Jackett’s side another dimension and focal point missing this season.

Lincoln

Michael Appleton has overseen an outstanding start from unfashionable Lincoln City this term.

And their 100 per cent return from four games saw them rise to the League One summit, after a battling victory at Blackpool.

The manner in which they battled back twice to do so will no doubt gladden the former Pompey boss, who is doing a fine job at Sincil Bank.

It’s only Hull and the Imps who have maintained a faultless third-tier league record four games into the season.

Fancied sides like Oxford United and Charlton have been among the teams conquered so far by Lincoln to make their start all the more impressive.

And Jorge Grant has taken himself to the top of the early goalscoring charts with four goals so far this term.

Peterborough

They’ve been touted by many to be in the shake-up to gain automatic promotion this season.

But it’s been far from a straightforward start to the season for Darren Ferguson’s Peterborough.

Defeats to Accrington and Sunderland have arrived in the opening three games, on top of the Posh having to deal with an outbreak of Covid-19 in their camp.

As Pompey will testify, Peterborough are a formidable proposition on their own turf, however, and so we saw with a 3-1 win over a Swindon side who have started encouragingly.

Jonson Clarke-Harris is the man with the unenviable task of succeeding Ivan Toney.

The striker got off the mark with two goals yesterday, as his side made it eight home league wins on the spin - their best run since 1984.

LOSERS

Fleetwood

After their play-off finish last term, many are expecting Fleetwood to feature at the right end of the table again this term.

It’s not fired for Joey Barton’s men so far, however, and yesterday proved a low as they lost at a Rochdale side tipped to go down.

Dale grabbed their first victory of the season, courtesy of a late goal from substitute Fabio Tavares.

On top of that, Barton isn’t happy with the strength of his squad and is making demands to be able to see reinforcements before the close of the window on October 16.

Ipswich

They’ve started powerfully this season, but Ipswich lost their 100 per cent league record yesterday.

It looked like a home banker against an MK Dons side who’d lost the previous two games, but Daniel Harvie’s goal saw Russell Martin’s side come away with a share of the spoils.

Harvie’s 54th-minute leveller was the first goal conceded by Paul Lambert’s side in the league this term.

It looked like it would go Ipswich’s way when Jon Nolan gave them a seventh-minute advantage with his side’s first attack of the game.

The goal didn’t knock the visitors, however, who were good value for their leveller in the 54th minute.

And it could have been even better for the visitors, as Ipswich were indebted to keeper Tomas Holy for a two quick-fire stops to preserve a point for the Tractor Boys.

Northampton

They are being touted to struggle this term after battling into League One via the play-offs.

But Keith Curle’s side gave a response to the doubters after picking up four points from their first two League One games.

They couldn’t stop Bristol Rovers picking up their first win of the season, however, yesterday to now make it two defeats on the spin.

Summer Pompey target Brandon Hanlan was on the scoresheet for Rovers along with defender Jack Baldwin - and the damage could’ve been much worse for the Cobblers.

To compound a miserable day for them, they finished the game with 10 men when defender Joe Martin was given a second yellow for putting a hand in the face of Hanlan.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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