It's good to be back.
Soaking up the sunshine at the High Performance Centre, City's new boys were in action for the first time as the Robins got off to winning ways in pre-season thanks to substitutes George Tanner and Cam Pring.
Nigel Pearson opted for a strong starting XI which is probably a clear indication as to how the Robins will line up against Hull City away on the opening day of the season barring one or two tweaks.
Kane Wilson and Jay Dasilva occupied the wing-back roles with Dan Bentley behind the three central defenders Timm Klose, Kal Naismith and Rob Atkinson. Tomas Kalas remains injured and failed to make the squad.
Matty James partnered Joe Williams in the midfield while Mark Sykes was deployed in the No10 role behind strikers Chris Martin and Nahki Wells with Antoine Semenyo watching on from the sidelines.
It took a while to break the deadlock, coming in the 68th minute after City made 10 substitutions. Cam Pring was the architect for both goals when his first cross was tucked home by George Tanner while the second on the 90th-minute mark landed at the feet of Tommy Conway.
City probably could and should have had more. Chris Martin blazed a penalty over the bar and keeper Max Harris made a handful of decent saves to deny Wilson, Nahki Wells and Joe Williams.
Here's the verdict with the first win under their belt.
Mark Sykes needs time
It was intriguing to see the roles of all three players but particularly Sykes having arrived with uncertainty as to how he would fit into the set-up.
He predominantly played out on the right at Oxford United although with Nigel Pearson's favoured three at the back formation with wing-backs, Sykes' position is likely to change under the current set up.
With Andi Weimann starting the match on the bench, Sykes was given the nod in the No10 role playing behind Martin and Wells. He was often handed a free role between the lines, looking to generate space and create gaps in the backline.
He almost made an instant impact when he took advantage of a defender's slip to make his way to the edge of the box. A pass through the defence found Wilson whose strike was saved well by the legs of the goalkeeper.
It was evident Sykes wanted the ball at his feet and was eager to put his creative attributes on show having scored eight and assisted five last season. Despite a bright start in the early period, he found himself without the ball for large periods of that first half as he looked to get to grips with his new position.
There were moments of his class, he linked up with Wilson out on the right on a number of occasions with the pair proving they can be a success in the same line-up. He also delivered a couple of decent crosses but to no avail.
However as a natural winger, Sykes would often find himself drifting over to the right leaving the likes of Jay Dasilva isolated out on the left and struggling to get forward. The majority of City's attacks came down that right side while Sykes was on the field.
It's important to stress that is just one game and it will take a lot of work for Sykes to get to grips with his new role but Pearson obviously eyes him as a player capable of filling Andi Weimann's boots in the absence of the Austrian.
Cam Pring's statement
I'd mentioned in the talking points how Cam Pring is one of the players looking to prove a point after being mysteriously banished from the first-team towards the end of last season.
Unsurprisingly it was Dasilva who started out on the left although he didn't particularly affect the game too much with most of City's attacks coming down the right through Wilson.
Pring came on at the hour mark with Tanner taking up the other flank and it took him eight minutes to set up the opening goal. Andy King's pass provided Pring with space and he drilled in a cross which the keeper palmed into the path of his opposite wing-back who showed composure to finish it off.
The second was similar, Pring showing his attributes by using pace and power to beat his marker before picking out Conway on the penalty spot. The striker continues to build his reputation as one of the best finishers at the club.
When he had the ball at his feet, Pring was direct and eager to drive at his full-back who couldn't deal with him in an attacking sense. It's early days of course and only 30 minutes of football against a League One side but he looked as though he had the bit between his teeth, determined to show that he shouldn't be written off just yet.
Pearson was adamant that there was nothing sinister in Pring's exclusion last season and perhaps the spell out of the team allowed the player to have some self-reflection and build on areas where he needed to improve.
Judging by this showing, Pring is out to challenge Dasilva to that wing-back role.
Wells and Martin combination
The performance may have given Pearson food for thought about his attack going forward into the new season, if not already.
With Antoine Semenyo out injured, there's few options available for the manager as it stands. Weimann could play in a more advanced position with Alex Scott or Sykes behind while Conway and Bell are also pushing for more first team opportunities.
Ideally one of those two youngsters may look to head out on loan for at least six months to build first-team experience but today was a golden opportunity for Wells in particular to stake his claim in the absence of his injured team-mate.
In fairness, Wells looked lively in periods during that first half. He had a couple of half-chances including a header that was saved well and a strike that flashed across the face of goal.
He was obviously eager to impress and get off the mark as you could hear the shouts of frustration from the stands if a chance went begging. Wells would often drop deep to collect the ball, feeding it out wide with his back to goal.
Perhaps we have been treated to the magnificence of Semenyo, Martin and Weimann too often but Wells and his strike partner on the whole couldn't really click as a forward pairing for large periods.
Martin in particular was quiet and he won't want to see a replay of his penalty that flew over the top of the crossbar in the second period. Minutes later, the two did combine with the striker feeding Wells who again couldn't beat Harris on the angle.
Wells' future remains a dilemma for Pearson with interest from Championship rivals Preston and Swansea. As a top earner and a year left on his deal, it would make financial sense to cash in should City entertain an offer - something the two clubs aren't willing to agree on as it stands.
Surely he would only leave if Pearson can line up a replacement, easier said than done with Championship strikers at a fair price few and far between. In that case, Pearson will want to find a formula to get the pair clicking and with six matches of pre-season left, there's still plenty of time to do that.
You also have to take into consideration how Sykes was also making his debut behind them as an attacking trio in an unfamiliar position. Wells' involvement ended in the 60th minute when he took a brutal blow to the privates from a free-kick with a chorus of 'ooohhh' ringing around the stand at the HPC.
It wasn't quite the ending he was hoping for but there's no doubt the duo will get another crack of the whip next Tuesday when the Robins entertain Portsmouth.
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