Leicester City's season got off to a disastrous start as they were outfought and outperformed by Notts County, a well-organized and energetic team promoted from the fourth tier. The team's fragile foundation was laid by Russell Martin's desire to play out from the back, which provided the foundation for a dispiriting performance. Ollie Cooper charged down the ponderous Alex McCarthy before seeing the ball bounce back off the crossbar, welcoming Leicester to League One within six minutes. McCarthy or the confused centre-back pairing of Caleb Okoli and Harry Souttar repeatedly gave the ball away in and around the penalty area, creating their own problems. Things went so badly that a compilation of their slapstick defending quickly gained traction on social media. Jayden Joseph gave Leicester an undeserved lead, but it did not ignite an improvement, and they inevitably gave away an equaliser through further ineptitude at the back. With most of the sell-out crowd of 17,172 celebrating their own uplift, and the rapid demise of their rivals, Leicester struggled to cope with the intensity. "We've got loads of learning to do and we'll be better for that, much better," Martin said. This was the first league meeting between the clubs since 1994, and there was plenty of passion for this rare East Midlands derby. The uncertainty among the Leicester defence was in tune with the club's overall situation. A sale brochure has been created to market the club for a takeover, but Martin has not received word that Leicester are officially for sale, despite reports of the owner, King Power, wanting more than £200m. The silver lining is that dropping down the pyramid and selling off assets opens up opportunities for young players. Will Alves, Joseph, and Sammy Braybrooke started and looked the most adept in difficult circumstances, while their more illustrious colleagues hid from battle. The trio spent last season on loan in each other's companies, and it seems they have learned a thing or two about the game. League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 23rd in Championship, 41 pts, 11W-14D-17L from 42 games, recent form LDDDL. Goals this season: 54 scored, 64 conceded (-10 goal difference). Title race: 45 points behind leaders Coventry.