Long Good Friday.

Faces for Cambridge United that is. I must admit I expected a tonking from our illustrious opponents but instead City emerged as the class act sweeping away Cambridge rather more easily than the scoreline would suggest.

This week’s Lincolnshire Echo made interesting reading, the sports section at least. Sean Newton saying that the Imps had performed better against the top sides. It was failure to dispatch the dead wood that has been their downfall. Had City done so, and with a bit more ruthless home form it might have been the Imps heading for the playoffs and with current form the way it is would have done so with considerable optimism.

Manager Gary Simpson was also quoted in the Echo stating that his intention is to secure the services of two strikers and it was as plain as the nose on your face yesterday that City’s deficiencies lie in their lack of punch up front. Had they put away a third of their chances it would have been Cambridge heading back south on the end of a thrashing. Talking of strikers our old friend Delano Sam-Yorke took the field for Cambridge after the half time break to a very nice round of applause from the City faithful. Maybe he is one of the two. I do hope so.

I said to my companion after half time that whoever had the task of naming the man of the match had their work cut out. Every single player was performing well. The passing from City was probably as good as it gets at this level of football. However as the game progressed a player did reveal himself head and shoulders above the rest and the crowd were not best pleased that for the second home game in a row that player was withdrawn. Presumably the manager felt that Kobi Athur’s ball retaining skills were needed to see the game out. He could hardly have done better than the departing player however; Jake Sheridan appeared to exert some kind of mystical attraction to the ball. At least it gave the crowd the opportunity to show what they thought of Sheridans efforts, the player exiting the field with the plaudits of the fans ringing in his ears, a well deserved standing ovation as generous as any I can remember. I certainly could have stood another ten minutes of Jake. When Sheridan was later revealed as MOM even the manager joined in the applause.
Finally from the Echo sports editor John Pakey ran an Imps Q and A session in which was suggested that City’s season ticket holders might wait to see what next seasons budget might be before renewing. Not so said Pakey:-
“You need to see some flair, you need to see some attacking, you need some goals to really get you excited and make you want to buy a season ticket”

Couldn’t have put it better myself and on yesterdays evidence presumably plenty were motivated to do just that, at least as soon as pay day comes around.
All in all then a very good day at Sincil Bank. I can’t remember the last time I had such an enjoyable afternoon and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one leaving the old stadium with a real spring in my step.