The season so far. Can you believe it?

 

Hands up all those who were predicting, after five league games City’s record would read played five won four? In addition, the Imps would have breezed past all comers in the EFL Trophy and had a run in the Carabao Cup albeit ending up buried in the brick wall that was Liverpool.

Even then we had the pleasure of Liverpool then finding out what a 7.2 defeat felt like to those premier league giants Villa. Did that give you pleasure? It did me.

Back to the clairvoyants who expected the start we had, well they didn’t include me and I suspect they didn’t include you. Being an Imp I’m now turning my pessimistic eyes to what happens next. Will our heroes return to their previous form or will it turn out to be a brief flowering followed by a slump to more humble fare.

For me, it’s important to note that it was Bristol Rovers City were felled by. On paper it was probably the most winnable game of the season so far, having overcome some big hitters. However, just as we seemed to have the advantage whenever we played Forest Green Rovers, in recent times at any rate, for some reason The Gas invariably seem to get the better of us. Perhaps it’s the fumes that make us drowsy.

My own recollection, albeit of away trips, nothing at Sincil Bank seems to evoke any type of warm glow, would be of some really impressive singing, them not us and delicious pasties. Well, I suppose they are quite near to Wales, maybe some of that choral tradition makes it’s way over the Bristol Channel. The pasties speak for themselves, if they’re not good there where would they be?

It’s not that City played all that badly, for my money they didn’t really start playing at all, at least not in the way they had been performing. I remember thinking, at the start of the Oxford game and the Charlton one for that matter we’ll do well to avoid a drubbing here and yet both these sides were dispatched.

I had been thinking the Imps had maybe had a few more penalties than expected this season so I suppose it’s part of the evening up that always seems to occur in football that this game should have hinged on a pen or penalties actually. I don’t think that was the reason we lost though as I’m sure Michael Appleton will be pondering on as he marshals his troops for the resumption of hostilities.

It’s another of those sides City should be well ahead of in terms of size of club. I remember writing up a grounds guide when I was helping out with the Deranged Ferret and thinking, as I considered Fleetwood Town’s stadium development, here’s a club to watch. That's not because they are some sleeping giant on the other end of the tram line from Blackpool but because they’ve got money and, particularly at the present time, in the words of the song “Money (that’s what I want).”

Still, money isn’t the be all and end all as we’re proving at the moment and if it was Aston Villa wouldn’t have stuffed Liverpool would they?

Personally I was glad Liverpool won the prem but I can’t pretend I was displeased to see them humbled, in the same way as I cheer just as loudly when the ref falls over his own feet and ends up flat on his back as for a goal. No offence ref.