Kelvin Osemudiamen Ehibhatiomhan. I thank you and goodnight.
That’s all I should have to write, but the overlords demand expansion, so here we are. It’s hard to pinpoint every factor that’s brought us to this moment, but something is shifting. Something subtle, something overdue. Are we… actually beginning to love this club again?
Winning games always changes the mood – that’s football’s oldest cliché, a tale as old as time – but this feels different. This feels like the start of a reconnection.
Let’s
start with the obvious: one of the best endings to a game since Matt Miazga took the roof off against Preston North End many moons ago. Bradford City trudged home with nil points, while we floated out of the ground warmed by two substitutes doing absolute bits in the dying embers.
It wasn’t just relief though. It was character. Resilience. Defiance. And that feeling was reinforced by yet another away win – this time at Luton Town. It reminds me of the well used meme: “He’s done it again!” We keep on doing this and maybe it’s time we have to recognise it.
The hosts hadn’t lost at home since October 18 (six wins, five draws since) and were riding the high of booking a Wembley trip in the Pizza Cup. Footballing gods love a narrative. But not this time. Arise Sir Kelvin, party‑ruiner extraordinaire.
The day when it all clicked for Kelvin
We’ve expected a lot from Ehibhatiomhan, maybe too much. He’s still only 22 after all. He’s been asked to replace Jack Marriott, a striker whose game is almost the polar opposite of his. Marriott thrives on space, Kelvin thrives on the ball dropping at his feet. One runs onto the moment, the other needs the moment to arrive.
Leam Richardson has had to adjust the entire attacking approach to accommodate that difference, and fans have understandably wondered whether Kelvin could fill the boots of a man in red‑hot form.
But he’s a confidence player. You can see it. You can feel it. And a hat-trick – even one built on opposition errors – injects confidence like nothing else. He still had to be alert, alive and in the right place. It could be said of him that those instincts have been missing. At Kenilworth Road, they clicked.
If he takes anything home (besides the match ball), it’s this: you CAN do it, Kelvin. And that smile – that big, beaming, unfiltered smile – is something we’d all love to see more often.
A special mention for Matt Ritchie, whose contributions have been vital in these recent wins. We all knew the quality was there – comfortably above League One level – but coaxing it out has taken time.
That outside‑of‑the‑boot delivery was a pure chef’s kiss. The fact he was celebrating before Kelvin even headed it in? That’s personality. That’s swagger. That’s the kind of thing fans love to see. It creates bonds, knits together a connection. It’s showing us what you’re all about, even with a bucketload of injuries.
And, for me, that’s what’s been missing.
Evolution
Despite our reservations and our demands for style over substance, it’s undeniable now that Richardson and LeamBall are having an effect. The football is still a hard watch at times, but the results speak for themselves.
I’ve struggled to find joy in this team; we’ve spluttered, stuttered with the handbrake on most of the time. But slowly, we’re beginning to understand this group – what they are, what they aren’t and what they might become.
Richardson appearing at the fans forum helped. He relaxed. He explained. He was bullish about what he has and what he needs. He made it clear that what we’re seeing now is necessity, not design. But he also showed he’s settled. He has a vision. He’s driven. He sees things we don’t, obviously.
And results like those against Bradford and Luton give us a glimpse of that evolution.
This has been a slow, slow burn. But something is brewing, maturing, evolving.
And our hat-trick hero – Long Kelv himself – could be the perfect embodiment of that sentiment.
