City top previous effort.

 

Last time at Gillingham turned out to be the sort of game Lincoln City struggle at. I suppose it was a compliment of sorts but Steve Evans’ men shut up shop and City failed to get the shutters open, going down by the odd goal.

Would it be better this time? The answer of course is score an early goal and let them worry about us.

When it came it certainly wasn’t after a spell of sustained City pressure. Against the run of play would be more accurate but it was a very cute goal, in front of the Sky TV cameras and showed how far the Imps have progressed and, on last nights evidence, Gillingham haven’t. You couldn’t fault them for effort though, they kept going in the face a penalty, converted this time and two other goals, three if you count the disallowed one that shouldn’t have been.

For me it was the quintessential away performance. It shouldn’t make a difference, home or away, in the absence of a crowd but somehow it does. There is the inconvenience of a long journey in the case of Gillingham but other than that teams seem to go for it more if they are at home, which Gills did, but they didn’t have enough to get past City.

I heard some fans complain that the Sky pundits favoured Gillingham. I didn’t detect that and I thought they were complimentary about the Imps style which I suppose was brought into focus playing an opponent employing rather more British tactics if I can call them that whereas City are playing the more continental, if that’s the right description, game favoured by most coaches in league one at the moment.

That would seem to infer that Steve Evans is the dinosaur and the big Apple the enlightened thinker. I couldn’t possibly say but our old adversary did manage to get himself in the referees book and it was said in commentary he’d had more yellow cards this season than any of his players which does seem to point to the sort of combative outlook he’s always employed, which is something you wouldn’t expect of the usually reserved Michael Appleton.

Needless to say, on reading the report in today’s paper the referee was responsible for Gillingham’s travails although Evans did have the grace to praise City. Is the old bluffer losing some venom?

Whether he is or isn’t is no concern of ours, City return to the top of the league and, having played on the Friday now have a little more down time to contemplate the latest, massive test against Hull City. Life’s anything but dull.