Eardley missile downs Cheltenham (Oh yes it did)

I compared Lincoln City to Cinderella after the victory against Chelsea under 21’s last week. Last night we got the ugly sisters knocking seven bells out of each other in an effort to get the glass slipper on their bunioned size elevens. Pretty it wasn’t until up steps Prince Charming in the shape of Mr Neal Eardley to fire an Exocet that Cheltenham, ultimately, failed to recover from.

It was always going to be a slog, it usually is for this fixture. What is less usual is an Imps win.

Yet for probably fifteen minutes it looked as if it was going to be a stroll in the park as City set about their opponents with vigour but the ball just wouldn’t find the net. Eventually the game turned into a pitched battle World War One generals would be proud of. Till Neal Eardley intervened that is. As it was on the very stroke of half time surely City would walk it in the second half? We probably should have known better.

Come to think of it people probably see City in this light but for a club from such a beautiful place Cheltenham have no regency panache at all. I’m not going to criticise them for that, we get enough of that ourselves but it's pragmatic football and it’s effective and maybe because of that this latest win should be all the sweeter.

City just need to get Crawley out of the way this weekend and can then look forward to a more measured game a week to recharge their batteries leaving aside the trip to Mansfield. They certainly look like they need it but there are positives, the new players are bedding in nicely and we have a new hero in Ryan Allsop who had a great game. He looks calm, unflappable and made a couple of brave saves that probably won it for City just as much as Eardleys haymaker. It must break Paul Farman’s heart to see how well he has settled in, not that he’d admit it.

They say it’s good to win when you’re not playing well. I don’t think that was the case last night, City were good just not very easy on the eye but they all count don’t they?