End game

Until very recently, when the weather picked up it was easy to get lulled into a false sense of confidence about City’s survival prospects but now there are just six further opportunities for the acquisition of those elusive four points and even then the Imps would not be safe if those below them in the table had a dramatic turnaround in fortune unlikely though that may seem. Barnet are making an effort though, perhaps it is all the practice they have had in recent times. City are again mired in a slump and it’s difficult to see them putting that right this coming weekend. Nor does the remaining fixture list give an awful lot of reassurance, after Gillingham come Crewe and Bury away followed by Cheltenham, home, Oxford away, surely they won’t be so unintentionally generous on their own patch as they were at Sincil Bank and then we finish up at home to Aldershot. Frankly, your 50p would be better off on something, anything in the Grand National than on the Imps to prevail of their own accord although most of us in our heart of hearts expect them to still be around in League Two next year but it will be no thanks to the clubs efforts.

Your correspondent is usually a glass half full merchant so sorry to sound so downbeat but Steve Prescott was all over the back page of the Echo on Thursday encouraging us all to renew our season tickets and to get the best deal that would mean paying up by 9 May, that’s two days after the end of the season and one of those days is a Sunday. Season tickets go on sale next Monday. How many will buy then one wonders? All this is leading (honest) up to next season when no doubt we will all be fired with enthusiasm once again in the expectation that the Imps will be up at the right end of the table and challenging for a play off spot at least. Given that we know now that the manager will at best have no increase in his budget for the forthcoming term and presumably when the long suffering supporters vote with their feet when it comes to season tickets and casual attendees will wait to see how the team start off before putting their sandals away and turning up it is difficult to see any prospect for a big improvement save that most fans are still of the opinion that we have a very good manager and assistant but you know what they say about sow’s ears?

On to the here and now and City face Gillingham on Saturday. Gills are only eighth in the table so that’s all right then (stop it!) but City got their season off to a start at the Priestfield stadium back in August with Cian Hughton (remember him?) scoring to give the Imps a much needed win. Imps manager Chris Sutton (remember him?) said before the game;

"Ultimately, I am the manager and I have to carry the can for the results, but ultimately I want to do well here. It's not a job that's particularly highly paid, but that's not a grumble because it shows I am not in it for the money. Basically I am here because I want to do well and because it's a good club. Do I want to be manager of Lincoln for the next 50 years? With respect, no, I don’t. But what are the chances of me moving on if I don't do well at Lincoln? None, that's why I want to be a success. Management is tougher than it's ever been, because you never get the time.”

It’s a funny old world isn’t it?