Richard Butcher is finally enjoying his football again after receiving the nod to play just behind the striker from Chris Sutton.
Butcher set up the winning goal in the win over Aldershot a fortnight ago, and flicked the ball on for Moses Swaibu in the move that led to the penalty this Saturday.
Butcher said "It's a fresh start under the new manager and we've all got to try and impress him. There's a lot of hard work to do.
"He's going to put his own ideas over to us. It's down to us to take it on board and make sure we perform how he wants us to."
The 28-year-old cemented himself in City folklore by resigning for a third time in the summer, and has never made a secret of his love for the club.
"It's always hard when you come back to a club you've always enjoyed playing for," he said. "But I'm going to hit a bit of form and hopefully we'll win some matches."
Chris Sutton appears to have recognised the midfielders potential contribution to the side after he hit 20 goals in two seasons at Meadow Lane.