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.