City not at their best but, what’s this? Three points!

 

The best thing about last nights win was that I didn’t watch it. Instead I went all traditional and listened to BBC Radio Lincolnshire where, in the absence of Thommo, Michael Hortin was commentating with Rob Makepeace telling the jokes. I mean doing the punditry. I found it all rather amusing. I always assume Hortin is Makepeace’s boss but he was doing a fair job of punting for the top job by failing to rise to Michael Hortin’s attempts to bring him into the game and provide the filler a la Thommo. Personally I didn’t really miss the references to when I was at Sheffield United/ Charlton/Boston United and we surely should be grateful we have such quality coverage of the game. I can’t believe it when I hear criticism of our local station and I wonder if some of the critics have heard other local radio coverage?

Talking of superior coverage I don’t believe I’ve mentioned Matchday Live on here before but, like you I’m sure I’m an avid fan of the build up show and I think that we’re so lucky having two such accomplished presenters as Sam Ashoo and Gary Hutchinson giving us such a watchable programme to start our viewing.

Anyway, City return to third spot in what is continuing to be a very acceptable season indeed and the only worry is will we get to see these marvellous young players before they are snatched away to pastures new? There does seem to be some light at the end of the tunnel particularly with news of the various vaccines now starting to become available for testing.

From what I heard there were many good performances last night  and no more so than Lewis Montsma. Will he be the first out the door? Lets hope not, before we’ve all seen him anyway but we are, even more than we were, a selling club.

There must surely be some clubs really hanging on by the skin of their teeth and I hope were not in that category and our best players can be clung to in order to have a little more success either by way of further promotion (I can’t believe I’m hinting at the championship but I’m sure it’s a possibility) or cup success. We’ll soon find out about that.

My one and only visit to Swindon, for football, I’ve been there lots of other times, was a dispiriting experience. There are many really pleasant places in the area, Oxford, Cheltenham and the Cotswolds to name three but Swindon is the exception and, if the signs around the place are to be believed a hostile place for away fans. Maybe it’s because we keep returning from there with the points.

Come to think of it, it’s not all that far from Forest Green Rovers is it? Must be something in the air that suits us Impish types.

 

Lockdown limits the experience but we’ve never had it so good.

 

The FA Cup pitted the Imps against a lower division side but not just any lower division side. Would City demonstrate the gulf between division one and two, or would Mark Cooper get his revenge for all those defeats?

Well we know the answer as the Imps swept aside Forest Green Rovers to take their place in the draw for the next round. Those two goals against were a minor irritation as City looked every bit the dominant force in this first round tie. Rovers tippy tappy approach, as usual against the Imps, failed to produce a win for Coopers supposed defenders of the soul of football and dump them out of the cup at the first time of asking. It was Lincoln who showed, whilst they may be under new management, it was business as usual in this unlikely rivalry but this time City did not resort to biff bang football and they emerged the Style Councillors and FGR the Shakin’ Stevens of the first round.

City were forced to make changes, or would they have done so anyway? As usual Michael Appleton was playing his cards close to his chest but whoever played in this game it all boiled down to one thing. Finishing. It was the Imps who were clinical in front of goal as Rovers wasted their early dominance and found themselves behind as City ran roughshod over a side that looked as if they didn’t know what had hit them. Even Cooper had to admit they had the chances to make their mark but didn’t take them as the Imps showed the ruthlessness in front of goal Rovers would need to emulate if they are to get those stars on the back of their shirts filled in signifying that all that money they spend was justified. Will Cooper get the opportunity to complete the task his chairman had described as easy? You have to say, despite their decent position in league two, time is beginning to run out with his contract expiring at the end of this season and on this evidence FGR look some way off league one standard.

Having said that City, whilst most of us don’t regard the squad as the finished article they very much looked a team on an upward trajectory and a decent draw in the next round could see us looking forward to locking horns with one of the big boys in round three.

In the meantime the novelty of going into the draw for this round of the cup as the highest placed club was something to be savoured for us fans and City certainly negotiated the round justifying their status. We’re probably better suited to the role of underdogs but, just this once it was good to go into the tie as firm favourites and they certainly were good value for that billing.