Posh, we’re coming to get ya!

The headline for this week was going to be the day all the things that have been going wrong went right, or words to that effect. Michael “Sportin” Hortin of BBC Radio Lincolnshire asked for a description of todays game and that’s what I said. I was slightly taken to task by a follower on twitter who said what about the three things that went wrong? A fair point but missing the point which I will explain.

For a start, we will consider the referee. The start is where we need to look because, from the beginning our man in the middle gave the impression of a star struck fan from the seventies who idolised the very famous Tractor Boys and quite clearly gave the impression he thought that everything Ipswich did was right and therefore everything City did, by the same token, was wrong.

That’s the only explanation I can give as to why the Imps were defending a free kick deliciously in range which Ipswich duly converted with some aplomb. But free kick? I don’t think so.

Add to that some very sloppy play, an own goal and, well you know what I mean because you were there.

However. However, City did not follow the usual script. Is this a foretaste of what we are about to receive? If it is then the board of directors are certainly going to have to think about how they can fit more fans into the LNER Stadium (there I’ve said it) because, once word gets around that City are serving up entertainment like this you can forget about taking the train to see Forest. Yes, I hear you say, The Imps shipped three goals but there again they scored five, I repeat five. Where else are you going to see that?

I’ll let you in to a little secret. I sit next to a lady I hardly know. I know which village she lives in, she knows where I live. We’re both shareholders and we sit together at the AGM. That’s it. When City fashion a win from nowhere however, when the Imps score a worldy we hug. It gets you like that. Otherwise we wouldn’t. After the game my wife asks, “did you hug?” It’s not a big deal. It is a reflection of the game though. Strictly speaking there should have been two but we limited it to one. I don’t want my friend Stewart getting jealous.

So be afraid, Peterborough, be very afraid. In all certainty you’ll win but, catch us in this mood there’ll be hugs. So just watch out.

A glimpse of the future.

It’s probably the same future the Cowleys had mapped out for us. I was talking to my Boston United following friend in the week and I must have said something about our former heroes as he commented “oh, you’ve forgiven them have you?”

I said there was nothing to forgive, it was the manner of the departure that irritated me not the fact they went. I’d have thought if they were minded to go they should have gone in the close season but it my view they weren’t minded to go at that point. It’s only a theory but I think, in fact I know as they said it, they fully expected further big investment to come in and when it didn’t there was the distinct possibility the Lincoln Loco would end up in a siding.

Anyway, I digress, I think the long term plan was to develop emerging talent, enjoy that talent while we could and sell the players on to further boost the coffers. Short of someone coming in with very deep pockets, and I think we’re all starting to realise how deep they have to be even in league one let alone the championship, then that is pretty much the only avenue available given the support is unlikely to increase substantially any time soon. This weeks developments have seen the first of several such signings as far as I can see

In fact, as I was saying to my Pilgrim friend, and talking of gates, its remarkable how well the support has held up given the blip we’ve been through and that can only help recruitment. If you can imagine we’re trying to sign a player in the face of competition from say Accrington or Rochdale and the same terms can be offered by each club surely the fact that City play in front of two or three times the fans can only help. Leaving aside Sunderland, Ipswich and Portsmouth it’s still a source of wonder to be that we’re in the next echelon of support. That certainly wasn’t the case the last time we were in the division.

All of which brings us to this weekend’s fixture and what surely would have been one of the highlights of the season, a visit to Coventry. Incredibly, the Imps are way ahead of the Sky Blues in support mainly due to them having to share a stadium and of course their catastrophic fall from their previous dizzy heights. I suppose, pound for pound, the result of that fall in terms of where they are now is about on a par with our own descent into relative oblivion but at least we owned our own stadium and, thanks to Bob Dorrian and Clive Nates not to mention the army of volunteers who labour willingly for free and of course many others we’re in a decent place despite the upheaval of late.

For that we should count our blessings at a time we should be doing that anyway. Merry Christmas.

Can’t buy a win? Give them a break!

Following on from Fridays thoughts, the lack of football for a couple of weeks did provide the Imps with the tonic they needed, but, welcome as the away win at Burton was it counts for nothing, well little, if it isn’t followed up with a good performance the next week at home.

If I’m honest it wasn’t really a good performance but it occurred to me as I threaded my way down Sincil Bank dodging the puddles and goodness knows what else, does it have to be so dark? It’s the end of 2019, surely we can do better than this. Anyway, I digress, it occurred to me that I felt a lot better about the performance at five o’clock than I did at four. I think we’d all accept a few more of these so called ugly wins if it means rising up the table.

I wouldn’t normally complain (well not much) about a referee but how on earth City did not have a penalty and with a penalty, if he is on the pitch a goal would normally follow courtesy of Mr John Akinde and in fact he did provide the sole goal and I must say, as is often the case the highlights looked a lot more skillful than my perception of the game watched live.

Anyway, Akinde did oblige and that goal prompted a discussion as to whether we have goal line technology in league one? I think the answer is no but certainly the offcials made short work of the decision and no protest from our opponents as far as I can see and City gave themselves a bit of breathing space as we approach Christmas.

Mention ought to be made of surely the dumbest second yellow and subsequent sending off you’ll ever see by a player recently booked but we should acknowledge Neal Eardlys smart thinking in taking, or rather trying to take a quick free kick which led to the Tranmere players instinctive reaction. I suppose we shouldn’t really celebrate an opponents stupidity, oh all right, go on then, but said player then stood his ground and attempted to argue the toss with the officials as if they were going to turn round and say ok mate, stay on if you’re that bothered. It is the pantomime season I suppose.

I was certainly entertained by that, for all the wrong reasons but you couldn’t say the same for Michael Appleton who pronounced himself unhappy that it happened. The way City applied themselves in response to the sending off perhaps explains why the manager was dis-chuffed. Instead of trying to make the pitch as big as possible and get Tranmere chasing shadows City displayed a lot of energy and not an awful lot of purpose.

A win’s a win though and with Coventry City licking their lips at the prospect of the Imps visit this coming weekend, City may be glad of the six points garnered over the last two weekends come the end of the next one.

Mid season break? Well maybe just this once.

I’ve never really understood the concept of the mid season break. If it’s about weather, lets be honest, most of continental Europe enjoys better than us. Those countries that don’t, Scandinavia and Germany are wealthy enough to mitigate against ice and snow so really ought to do better than us in the battle against the elements.

Add to the fact there’s no matchday revenue, the fans lose continuity and the players lose condition. I suppose for the injured there is a chance to recuperate but other than that I can’t see the attraction.

Except to say, in Lincoln City’s case it couldn’t have come at a better time. The team had been playing reasonably well but garnering very few points. In cases where a lead was established heartbreak followed as the fates intervened and those last minute defeats and even equalisers sap the spirit. That’s where we were, low on confidence, low on luck. Just low really. When will lady luck, such a welcome and frequent visitor until recently, come to see us again?

Maybe right now dare we hope. That win, after the enforced break, at a place, lets face it, until those last few weeks and despite results there, we might have anticipated success at has put a spring back in all our steps. Bozzie is back, several players seem to be regaining their mojo, tickets are still selling well, all's right with the world.

Is that right? Ask me again at five o clock on Saturday.