Back to the future.

There’s certainly a big one this weekend with the much anticipated arrival at Sincil Bank of Coventry City. Not since the heady days of our all too brief sojourn in League One or the Second Division as it was styled at the time which featured amongst other notables, Manchester City have the Imps played such illustrious opponents.

I recall also a previous promotion (you don’t have to have too much of a head for figures), Graham Taylors side this time and Portsmouth were the big noises but I don’t think either of those clubs and the others that were around at the time engendered the sort of interest the fans are conjuring up at the moment. The game sold out on Monday and all fans without a ticket can hope for is a spare seat surrendered by a season ticket holder who can’t make the game.

Of course Sincil Bank was a bigger capacity in those days but even so I don’t recall sustained 8-9000 gates and I certainly don’t recall the sort of big match atmosphere were generating now what with the 617 and the associated noise that brings with it as the fans join in losing some of their inhibitions to sing and clap along. Even in the Selenity Stand us old codgers aren’t allowed to snooze the afternoon away, Danny Cowley would quickly be turned towards us giving us the crank it up exhortation. It’s not just the players who are required to go the extra mile.

I’m not going to harp on about it but, just as with the Trophy last year the Checkatrade Trophy this has given the squad members the chance to stake their claim to a start and Harry Anderson and Elliott Whitehouse certainly did that. I can’t imagine if they are both fit that those players will not feature at some stage. Has the lack of goals issue found a solution? It would be nice to think so and of course when they start to come they can emanate from other areas of the team too. Whatever you may think of individual strikers I’m sure, like me you just want goals from them and after that all is forgiven but I don’t think anyone can be accused of lack of effort.