The Imps begin their return to the second tier after 65 years with a trip to the Riverside Stadium to face Middlesbrough on Saturday 15 August (3pm KO).
Read all the key stats, information and pre-match thoughts of both Tom Shaw and Tendayi Darikwa as City kick off their 2026/27 Sky Bet Championship campaign.
Opposition Information
Middlesbrough’s previous campaign ended with a play-off final defeat at the hands of Oli McBurnie and Hull City, concluding a unique play-off run which saw them initially lose their semi-final before being reinstated at the expense of Southampton. Their 2026/27 competitive campaign kicked off when they hosted fellow Sky Bet Championship opposition Wrexham in round one of the Carabao Cup, they advanced with a 1-0 win and will now travel to Doncaster Rovers in round two.
The goal that opened Boro’s account for the season was an acrobatic finish by one of many new recruits in Teesside this summer, Will Lankshear. He joins Kim Hellberg’s setup on a permanent basis from Tottenham Hotspur having spent a full campaign gaining Sky Bet Championship experience when netting 11 league goals in 44 appearances for Oxford United.
Another new face that Boro fans got their first glimpse of in that victory over the Red Dragons was American international Sebastian Berhalter. The defensive-minded midfielder joined from MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps off the back of a World Cup campaign which saw him feature in all five of the USMNT’s games including a full 90 minutes against Turkey where he bagged himself both a goal and an assist in their 3-2 group stage loss.
Tom Shaw said: "We're not naive to the fact that this is an excellent footballing side, there are areas of the game in which they are outstanding at and can really hurt you but we’ve recognised a few things in their makeup that we think we can affect. It's going to be a tough opening game, but we’ve grown in confidence as a building after last weekend's success.”
Fearless Mentality
The Imps will compete in their first second tier football match in 65 years when they face Middlesbrough but after a 103-point Sky Bet League One campaign, both Tom Shaw and Tendayi Darikwa assure they are unfazed as they make the step up and have nothing but excitement for the challenge ahead.
Shaw said: “We got 103 points last season: we’re on an amazing upwards trajectory as a football club which I’ve been blessed to be a part over the last nine years and I wouldn’t want to play against Lincoln City if I was one of these teams.
“We’ll be perceived as the underdog, but we won’t play like it, we’ll play with belief and no fear but with respect to the opposition.”
Darikwa said: “It’s not daunting, we’ve earnt the right to be here and we believe in ourselves. There’s a lot of outside noise which to me doesn’t mean anything because we’ve got a massive belief from within the football club.”
Tendayi Darikwa’s Thoughts
Tendayi Darikwa was a huge part of the Imps’ return to the second tier, playing 51 games in all competitions and netting six times whilst also being a key figure in the backline which boasted the best defensive record in the division, conceding just 41 times over the course of the season. The skipper spoke ahead of City’s clash with Middlesbrough and their return to the second tier.
He said: “On paper this is a huge game but these are the games you want, we’ve worked so hard to get the club back to this level after so many years so a sellout at the Riverside Stadium against one of the league favourites will be a great occasion and if we play well, I’m sure we can get a really good result.
He added: “The message to the fans is to just keep supporting us the way you do, you give us a massive lift both home and away. We really appreciate your support and just enjoy the ride, it has been a long time, and we know it’s the first time in this division for a lot of our supporters so just stick with us and keep believing in us.”
H2H
The last time the Imps made the trip North East was in November 1960 when 13,053 spectators attended Boro’s former stadium, Ayresome Park, to watch a 1-1 draw between the two sides. It was City who struck first on that occasion through Roy Chapman but just five minutes later there was a response from the hosts through Bill Harris.
Middlesbrough were first elected to the Football League in the 1899/1900 season and playing the Imps holds historic significance for Boro as their first ever Division Two game was a trip to Lincolnshire. It was City who emerged 3-0 victors on that occasion with the reverse fixture being played in December and ending as a 1-1 draw.
Match Information
City will sport their newly-released third kit, inspired by the gaming and the club’s growing reputation in eSports - get yours HERE.
Bobby Madley will be in charge for the Imps’ return to the Sky Bet Championship with help from assistants Steve Meredith and Conall Bartlett and the fourth official for the afternoon will be Tom Parsons.
John Helm will provide the commentary for Imps+ and will be joined by Chris Laming - check out your streaming options HERE.
