Despite reducing the admission prices for the Macclesfield match, the three games only attracted a total of around 24,600 spectators with the 9,159 attendance for the Leicester match being particularly disappointing. Attendances for league matches were falling well short of the club's break even figure and the decision was taken to offer discounts for some supporters at the next home game against Luton.
Before that though the team now faced a couple of away matches. The first of these was at Millwall who, having sacked a manager who never took charge of a game in the summer and struggling near the bottom of the table without a home win so far, were doing a good impression of a club in crisis. However, three consecutive away wins had lifted sprits at the New Den and the signs were that it would be a tougher game for the City than it might have been a fortnight earlier. As it turned out, the match proved to be something of a non event with very few chances created by either side - I would guess City were the happier of the two sides with the 0-0 scoreline, but it's probably true to say that the highlight for the 671 away fans was the sending off of Ninian Park hate figure Jody Morris in injury time for two yellow cards.
Three days later City were at Stoke and they maintained their excellent recent record at the Britannia Stadium with a 3-0 win. Although Stoke had made a decent start to the season, they had already lost twice at home and, frankly, they were blown away by a tremendous first half performance by City. All of the scoring came in the first half - after ten minutes Jerome sped clear on to a Ledley through pass to easily beat Simonsen in the home goal, two minutes later Darren Purse got his first goal for City from open play when he glanced a header in from a Koumas free kick and, finally, in the forty third minute, the Ledley/Jerome partnership again carved open the defence for the latter to roll the ball gently in after rounding the keeper.
Paul Gallacher did hit the post for Stoke after the break, but City comfortably played the game out to finish with a win which, for me, more than any other so far sent out the signal that City were not going to be the Championship cannon fodder that so many had expected them to be. As to why we were doing better than expected, well Dave Jones was looking like a good choice as manager which obviously helps, the new players were now settling in at the club, and in the area as well, but I would say that the form and goals of Cameron Jerome was as big a single factor as any in our encouraging start.
Jerome had shown definite signs of promise in the previous season, but his lack of goals made me doubt his goalscoring credentials. However, eight goals in all competitions so far was showing that he did have ability as a finisher, but there was more to his game at this stage with his pace, power and willingness to show for passes causing defenders no end of problems - if Jerome's finish to the campaign was extremely disappointing, then I don't think that it is an exaggeration to say his early season form was a terrific and unexpected bonus and that needs to be remembered by those who are now questioning his ability so much.
The win at Stoke lifted City into ninth position - four league games without conceding a goal, eight matches unbeaten in all competitions and cheaper prices surely meant that there would be a bigger crowd than normal for Luton's visit didn't it? As it turned out, it did as 14,567 were present to see a lively and good quality game. However, as was to be the case for the rest of the season, a better than normal home crowd equated to a poor result for the team as an impressive Luton team recorded a deserved 2-1 win.
The City team had been virtually picking itself in recent games, but they had to make a change now as Jeff Whitley had already picked up five bookings and had to sit out this game through suspension. Neil Ardley replaced Whitley, but the midfield had an unbalanced look to it with Koumas, who had been given a free role which saw him operate mainly on the flanks up until now, having his poorest match so far - City were distinctly second best in the middle of the park that day, but it is arguable if Whitley's presence would have changed things because City's lack of midfield dominance in home matches was becoming a recurring theme of the season.
Another theme of the season up until then was the number of early goals City were getting in games and they did it again here as Ricketts capitalised on a defensive blunder to score in the ninth minute, but as the game wore on, it became more apparent that the visitors were gaining the ascendancy. Luton had hit the ground running after winning League One last time around and they now mixed their game up very effectively to take a firm grip on proceedings.
City had not conceded a goal since James O'Connor's late equaliser at Burnley three weeks earlier, but there was a definite feeling that one was coming soon for Luton as the half wore on. In the end it was Dean Morgan, a player who makes a habit of scoring against us, who levelled things on the half hour mark (nearly 400 minutes had passed since O'Connor's goal by then). City protested that another Luton player was offside in the build up to the goal and they seemed to have a point, but, as I believe you can count the number of people who understand the modern offside law on the fingers of one hand (I'm not one of them by the way!), nobody seemed to know for certain!
The second half continued along the same theme with Luton looking the better team and, eventually, they went ahead with a scrappy goal by Holmes in the fifty seventh minute. To City's credit, they responded well to going behind and for the rest of the game they gave as good as they got - indeed, by the end with the Luton woodwork being hit and a couple of efforts cleared off the line, City could legitimately claim that they could have scored about five, the problem was though Luton could just as equally claim they could have scored eight!
Another break for International football meant no fixtures for a fortnight, but City were able to put the Luton disappointment behind them with a good 2-1 win at Brighton. Yet again, the team, with Whitley back in for Ardley, made a fast start with Jerome's fine run down the left touchline created a chance that Koumas impressively side footed in from the edge of the box in the twelfth minute. This was the prelude to a good first half performance by the team which should really have seen them more than the one goal in front. The second half again saw City on top but wasting chances and it was almost inevitable that they would pay for this - something which they did just past the hour mark when Brighton's on loan defender from Manchester United Paul McShane stabbed home a scruffy equaliser.
If Brighton hoped this would be the signal for them to take control they were to be disappointed as City showed their character and reasserted themselves. Just over ten minutes later they were in front again with a goal from a most unusual source! Alan Lee had gone virtually a year since his last league goal, but he made an immediate impact this time after replacing the disappointing Ricketts by scoring within seconds of coming on. Lee buried a chance created by Ledley's lovely through ball to finish off an impressive passing movement and City had few problems seeing out the rest of the game to seal a 2-1 win, a result which didn't flatter them in the slightest.
Jason Koumas' man of the match display was a sign of him getting back towards full fitness after his injury and lack of pre season training and he was to offer more evidence of this in the next two games both of which were played at Ninian Park.
Another poor crowd of 9.574 saw an entertaining if frustrating 2-2 draw with Preston in which referee Howard Webb went a long way towards losing the hero status he had enjoyed with City fans after officiating in two of our three Play Off games in 2003.
Although Preston were to eventually prove themselves to be one of the best teams in the division again by the end of the season, their inability to win at home up to that point together with the disruption caused by selling some of their best players to Leeds United meant that they were closer to the bottom than the top of the league when they came to Ninian Park. However, that did not stop them becoming the latest visiting side to get to win the midfield battle in a City home match and City's 1-0 half time lead was achieved against the run of play. The goal came after about half an hour when Koumas' tremendously struck thirty yard free kick got a slight deflection onto the crossbar from where it fell to Ledley who scored with the aid of another deflection.
After the break, the visitors continuously pressed forward and eventually levelled through Mears with just under half an hour to go. City again responded impressively to conceding a goal and with ten minutes left looked to have won the game when another marvellous free kick from Koumas, this time curled from about twenty five yards, found the net. Preston weren't finished though and a scrambled ninetieth minute goal by substitute Sedgwick brought them level a second time. However, City stormed forward in the few minutes of stoppage time that remianed and looked to have clinched the points in the dying seconds when Lee netted from close in only for the referee to rule the goal out for a foul on keeper Nash. Television replays confirmed the suspicion that Lee had been looking at the ball throughout the incident and had beaten Nash to it fairly - maybe City hadn't deserved the win over the ninety minutes, but Webb's blunder had cost them two very valuable points which became more significant as the season progressed.