Portsmouth Shatters Lincoln's Homecoming Celebration
Sixty-five years they waited for this. A full Championship fixture at Sincil Bank – now the ProAmpac Stadium – a sold-out crowd, a new era, and a sense that Lincoln City were finally back where generations of supporters had dreamed they might be.
Portsmouth didn’t bother with the script.
Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, 17 years old and on loan from Chelsea, walked into this occasion and treated it like a training ground exercise. One chance. One touch. One finish. With Pompey’s first real opening of the afternoon, he calmly picked out the bottom corner and silenced the noise that had been building all day.
It was Lincoln who had come flying out of the blocks. Adam Reach whipped in a free-kick that Nicholas Schmid had to tip over. Moments later, Ben House burst clear, one-on-one, only for Schmid to stand tall and block. The Imps were frantic, aggressive, feeding off the emotion of a landmark day.
Then the punishment arrived.
Kavuma-McQueen’s opener flipped the mood, and Portsmouth, beaten 3-1 by Queens Park Rangers on the opening weekend, suddenly looked like a side with a point to prove. Lincoln, who had not lost a league game at home since early October last year, were rattled.
The pressure didn’t ease. When Abu Kamara was tripped just outside the area, Adrian Segecic stepped up and drove a vicious free-kick goalwards. A slight deflection helped it on its way, but the strike had too much power and accuracy anyway. Two-nil. Two punches landed in quick succession. The homecoming turning sour.
Lincoln’s new reality – and new ambition
This was supposed to be a celebration of how far Lincoln have come. From the depths of non-league a decade ago to a club now spending seven figures on transfer fees and rubbing shoulders with Championship regulars.
American backer Ron Fowler, the former San Diego Padres co-owner who took control as Lincoln surged towards promotion last season, watched from the stands among 10,545 packed into the rebranded ground. He has backed a club that once relied on supporters to keep it alive during administration in 2002, and that only this summer broke the £1m barrier to sign Romanian defender Andrei Coubis. Another record outlay is expected on Danish striker Mikkel Ladefoged from Vasteras SK.
For all that progress, the step up in class was laid bare in 90 unforgiving minutes.
Co-head coaches Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw had already reacted to the opening-day defeat at Middlesbrough, bringing in Reeco Hackett for Ryley Towler and sticking to the high-energy, front-foot approach that had carried them up. Early on, it looked like it might pay off again.
But Portsmouth were ruthless where Lincoln were wasteful.
Hackett offers hope, Adams slams the door
Lincoln needed a lifeline and found one just after the half-hour. A shot from Reach struck Zak Swanson’s arm as the Pompey defender tried to block, and the referee pointed to the spot. Hackett, facing his former club, stepped up with conviction and drilled the penalty home. The stadium roared back into life. At 2-1, the old place felt like it might just explode.
Lincoln kept coming, refusing to abandon their attacking intent despite the damage already done. They harried, pressed, and chased every second ball, trying to turn emotion into momentum.
The next moment of quality, though, belonged again to Portsmouth.
Ebou Adams, introduced from the bench, picked up the ball 25 yards out and unleashed a thunderous strike that ripped into the net. No deflection. No doubt. A goal worthy of killing off any contest, and it did just that. The air drained from the stands as quickly as Adams’ shot had flown into the top corner.
Lincoln still tried to drag the occasion back from the brink. Deep into stoppage time, Rob Street saw a deflected effort loop up and kiss the crossbar. For a split second, it looked like the late twist the day craved. Instead, it was just another reminder that this level punishes almost everything except perfection.
From moon landings to the modern Championship
The last time Lincoln hosted football at this level, in 1961, humankind hadn’t yet set foot on the moon. The club has since drifted through the outer reaches of the English pyramid, slipping into non-league and clawing its way back, surviving financial crisis and near-oblivion.
Now they stand in a very different landscape: bigger budgets, sharper opponents, relentless scrutiny. They are no longer just grateful to be here. They are spending, planning, and expecting to compete.
Portsmouth’s visit, though, was a harsh reminder. History, romance and a packed house count for nothing if you blink at the wrong moment. Lincoln blinked early, and Pompey didn’t hesitate.
The party will resume another day. The question is how quickly Lincoln can turn this milestone into a platform, rather than a warning.
