Leicester City's first season in England's third tier since the 1990s began with a stark warning rather than the swift bounce-back many had anticipated, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by newly promoted Notts County at Meadow Lane on Saturday.
Manager Russell Martin's insistence on playing out from the back proved costly early on. Ollie Cooper pressured a hesitant Alex McCarthy inside the opening six minutes, and although the goalkeeper's clearance struck the crossbar, it set the tone for a nervy afternoon. Leicester's centre-back pairing of Caleb Okoli and Harry Souttar repeatedly struggled under pressure near their own box, gifting County several opportunities and prompting a wave of social media attention around their defensive mishaps.
Despite the shaky start, Leicester took a somewhat fortunate lead through Jayden Joseph. However, the advantage did not settle the visitors, and their defensive frailties resurfaced when Conor Grant was left unmarked to equalize from close range in the six-yard box.
The result did little to ease growing anxiety among Leicester's travelling supporters, who nonetheless made the short journey to Meadow Lane in numbers, underlining their loyalty despite the club's uncertain trajectory. Amid frustration with the ownership overseeing Leicester's decline, sections of the away following made their discontent audible as performance levels dipped from underwhelming to poor in the second half.
It marked the first league meeting between the two East Midlands clubs since 1994, a fixture that once would have seemed unthinkable given the gulf between their fortunes. When Leicester lifted the Premier League title a decade ago, Notts County were playing in League Two and would soon slip into the National League for four years. Now, with a sell-out crowd of 17,172 packed into Meadow Lane, it was County who looked the more composed and energetic side.
Martin admitted the occasion exposed vulnerabilities his side must address quickly.