Lincoln City are like Peterborough. Not all that far away.

I seem to have a bit of a bee in my bonnet when it comes to Peterborough. When I first started to work in Boston the folks there used to venture to Peterborough as their shopping venture of choice and I could never understand why they would go there instead of their own county town. I later formed the view that they saw themselves as very much on a par with Lincoln (remember all that Bostonshire stuff when they were in the league?) And why would you go somewhere virtually the same?

Regular readers will know I like a bit of history with my football but did you know that there is a sort of connection between Peterborough and Lincoln in that way back in history the diocese of Lincoln was considered too big, it stretched from the Humber to the Thames and it was decided to divide the geographical area into a Lincoln Diocese in the North and a Southern section. Peterborough was a sizeable town and with a rather fetching abbey so Henry VIII, rather than raze the abbey to the ground as he did with many, turned it into a cathedral and with it upgrade Peterborough to a city. Much later, the sixties I think, Peterborough became a new town despite the fact it was neither new or a town and all those lovely dual carriageways sprang up, the sort of roads the Lincoln area should have but can’t seem to get, not that I’m jealous.

So in my mind Peterborough is a kind of son of Lincoln but the powers that be seem to regard it as much more important and it’s the same with the football team. I don’t think there’s all that much between the clubs but of course there is, there’s a world of difference. The question is, are we making up any ground? I think we are.

So to yesterday’s game, you knew I’d get there eventually, and City set about their more cash laden rivals with gusto. I’ve seen reports that said City outplayed Posh I’ve seen it said we didn’t, I’m in the outplayed group and I sent a text to my son at half time saying I do hope we don’t regret not scoring in the first half. I thought our play warranted it but of course if you don’t you’re liable to suffer the consequences.

If this had been league two I have every confidence City would have got a least a point maybe three but it isn’t and City paid the price but not necessarily on football ability. I didn’t see it with my own eyes, the first I knew of an incident was the sight of Michael O’Connor flat on his back where he remained for a considerable time. The only surprise was that O’Connor came back onto the pitch but that situation did not last long. It was only later that I started to see accusations of skulduggery and that the “accidental” collision was anything but. I repeat, I didn’t see it and I don’t think anyone around me did, certainly no comment was made other than it seemed to be inadvertent.

What I would say is if an opponent was going to attempt to put a player at a disadvantage that player would be Michael O’Connor who was at his imperious best. Had he remained on the pitch and with young Ellis Chapman more than holding his own on his debut start, City would have been good value for at least a point but as it turned out Posh started to run City ragged and when Tom Pett, perhaps surprisingly on for O’Connor when a match fit Callum Connelly was available, put a square ball across straight into the path of a gleeful home team, Peterborough got the break they were hoping for although I have to say it was a lovely finish from Reed. City finally started to get their second half going but it was too little too late and it was irony of ironies when Ivan Toney got Posh’s second as City chased the game. Another exquisite finish from, you guessed it, the player bent over Michael O’Connor’s prostrate figure to say how sorry he was for the collision. I bet he was.

As for City, on we go. This was always going to be difficult and now a Friday night game to look forward to. No one was predicting this season was going to be easy which is exactly how it is turning out but for my money, on yesterdays evidence the Imps should be able to steer clear of trouble playing like that.