Lincoln City got their season off to a fine start with a 2-0 win against Accrington Stanley in League One.

The Imps are in the third tier for the first time in 20 years and eased past Stanley with a two-goal victory on an afternoon where four players made their full debuts for the club.

Jack Payne, Joe Morrell and Jorge Grant all played in the space behind the main striker, all impressing on their first outings for the club. Ahead of them, Nottingham Forest striker Tyler Walker made his debut for the Imps.

Walker played for their promotion rivals Mansfield Town last season but opted to join Lincoln over Coventry City for this campaign.

Did his debut suggest it’s a wise move for both parties? Our spotlight should shed some light on the question.

Walker played 76 minutes of the encounter at Sincil Bank, leaving the field just five minutes before the Imps secured the win with their second goal of the game. John Akinde, the man Walker replaced in the first team, bagged the goal that sealed victory, but Walker’s performance suggests he’s going to start a majority of matches.

He managed three shots during the match, all three of which were on target. One, a point-blank header in the opening minute of the second half, should have brought a goal. His former Forest teammate Dimi Evtimov pulled off a wonder-save, reminiscent of Gordon Banks at the 1970 World Cup.

Whilst he didn’t get amongst the goals, he did manage eight touches in the box, again a great figure for a striker on his home debut. He showed a willingness to run in behind and the relationship between him and the players behind him is only set to improve.

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His own passing wasn’t bad either, 70% of the time he delivered a ball to a teammate. It’s tougher for a forward to get a decent pass accuracy as defenders are more likely to be closing down space in the final third. Walker showed he was comfortable on the ball, both in the area and looking to lay it back out wide.

He made five dribbles too, always looking to carry the ball into the box. That was reflective of the Imps approach, with all four attacking players carrying the ball forward and looking to create chances. It was a stark contrast to their final games of the title-winning season where they forward players got little in the way of chances.

The most played forward pass was still keeper Josh Vickers to Walker, meaning the Imps are trying to get forward quickly from the restart where possible. That necessitates an aerial duel on most occasions, 54% of which Walker won. He’s not as robust as John Akinde, but still proved to be a willing receiver both into his head as well as his feet.

There was plenty in his performance to get Lincoln fans excited, but much will depend on how the service holds up behind him. If the flair players keep getting the ball into the danger area, Tyler Walker will hit 20 goals or more this season.