City left punch drunk after Boxing Day encounter.

Graham Drury, Boston United’s new manager told the Lincolnshire Echo last week that the Pilgrims are the county’s biggest club. They, giants that they are, battled out a 1.1 draw in front of a much improved Boxing Day crowd of 1176. Meanwhile minnows Scunthorpe United were defeated at Sheffield United, whoever they are watched by 21819 and, just to get back to the matter in hand, Lincoln City were humbled by Grimsby Town 4.1 at Sincil Bank where the attendance was 5702.


Love them or loath them, personally I just don’t wish them well, Mariners, particularly when they are at Lincoln and when they are going well which they undoubtedly are at the moment, do have a touch of the big time about them and the noise made by their sell out away following (over 500 more than your entire attendance, Mr Drury) is impressive and they easily outshouted the Sincil Bank faithful although the home fans tried manfully to match them. Maybe that is something to do with the fact that Grimsby are doing so well at the moment but there again, City have been on a decent run of late.

Talking of enthusiasm, I thought a home attendance of something like 4000 to see a team that had hauled themselves up to mid table from the relegation places, in just a few short weeks, to watch them take on our traditional rivals, who are top of the league (as they repeatedly reminded us), was pathetic and there were seats to spare galore in the main stand whilst the Stacey West contained it’s usual sprinkling of supporters, dotted about. Big time is not an epithet I would use to describe us at the moment.

Not wishing to be churlish, although I appreciate it does sound like it, Mariners were no great shakes. City slightly edged possession as well they might being the home side although you would have expected a team having such an excellent season to dominate which Grimsby didn’t particularly. Looking at the general approach to the game in my view it would have been hard to see who were the team at the top and who were mid table. Until it came to taking chances that is. Ably assisted by City who were having one of those Charlie Chaplin days when it came to defending, Grimsby gleefully accepting City’s gift wrapped Christmas offerings.

City started off dropping like flies though, collapsing to the ground on virtually every challenge, whether they were trying to get the referee on side although if they were it didn’t work as just two yellows were dished out, one to each side. City just gave the impression they couldn’t live with the big boys and even the home crowd were getting fed up with it. After that, same old story I’m afraid, chances came and went, defending varied from inadequate to kamikaze, Farman had an off day to say the least and the defence should be kept behind after school. One thing’s for sure, play like this at Blundell Park and there will be a cricket score and we will be back with the haunted ones at the bottom of the league. There again, were not the biggest club in Lincolnshire are we?