City have the final say.

 

Can we shut up about little old Lincoln now? I don’t suppose people will. A lot has been said about Sky, and every one else it seems having a condescending attitude towards the Imps although, to be honest in the end I thought Sky did actually capture the fairy tale nature of City’s recent success.

Commentators, like anyone will have their prejudices and Sunderland are a big club. I remember way back when Wimbledon won the FA Cup, Gary Lineker said it was a bad day for football as Wimbledon play the “wrong” way. What he was referring to was the style of play but the inference was you shouldn’t be winning trophies, leave it to the big boys.

Anyway, City haven’t won anything yet but it didn’t seem to matter yesterday as the Imps, in a remarkable turnround escaped the lethargy, is that what it was? Of the first half to reveal their true colours and snatch the tie from the Black Cats. Never has defeat tasted so delicious.

Ridiculously, I dressed exactly as I did on Wednesday, minus the rain jacket and mask. I don’t know why I thought that was going to make a difference and for 45 agonising minutes it didn’t as City looked a shadow of the team that had held Sunderland in an iron grip in the week. As the half crept to an end I did just wonder, if the Imps could just keep it to two nil Michael Appleton might be able to do something, anything, to rescue a situation that was looking increasingly hopeless.

This morning, as May finally realises it’s a spring month, I still can’t quite believe what I saw as Michael made the changes I think even tactical dunces like me saw were necessary and City tore into Sunderland as if their lives depended on it.

Well they do say football is a matter of life and death to mangle a saying made long ago and City said to the grim reaper, hold on a second, we’re not finished, oh no.

Even then it was a close-run thing, we don’t do things the easy way, as Jorge Grant admitted after the game. Tom Hopper scored, his limp goal celebration causing a chuckle but not to the Mackems, given that it is a carbon copy of the one employed by the great Alan Shearer, of Newcastle United, here on Wearside. How we laughed, well I did.

It was far from over. A missed penalty. Oh Jorge, you do pick your moments, two relatively easy chances spurned. Grrr. Then injury time, then some more injury time. Put us out of our misery please!

And relax. My hands were shaking trying to join the many tweeting their thoughts. City were back at Wembley. You wait 100 plus years to get there and two appearances come along at once. Will I get a ticket? It doesn’t really matter. Will we win? It doesn’t really matter.

What am I saying? It does matter. In the words of someone whose name escapes me, Retreat? Hell, we only just got here.

A tale of two keepers.

 

I wore my shirt on Thursday morning which is not something I would normally do. I don’t think they’re suitable leisure wear for anyone over fifteen but for some reason on Thursday I wanted to preserve that warm glow I had when I vacated the stadium.

Everything about Lincoln City has changed over the last few years and no more so than the ticketing arrangements. I reminded my friend from work days who was the manager in charge of staffing matters of my earliest days in Boston when I spent probably far too much time hanging around Sincil Bank trying to get play off tickets. Although he was a Boston United fan crucially he was a football fan so although, in those days, I was a rival, nevertheless he understood the need and my pass was secured.

How different it was this time and that’s with all due respect to those who didn’t get a ticket and I do want to pay tribute to the hard work of those issuing the tickets to ensure as many of us as possible were in the stadium. Once in, a good hour and a quarter before kick off and, amazingly the atmosphere was building certainly when the players entered the pitch for the warm up.

It was of course the first time most of us had seen this team in the flesh and my goodness they delivered. I’ve seen a lot of City teams and even teams that competed at championship level although I can’t honestly say I’ve got much recollection, but this is undoubtedly the best collection of players any of us have witnessed.

My first impression was the speed of play. Not in a rushing around the pitch sort of way but the movement and, yes, the aggression. For a young team these boys certainly know how to mix it. Grateful though I am to have been able to see most of the games, courtesy of i follow the teamwork is not apparent when the action is captured on one camera. In particular I hadn’t appreciated what a general Liam Bridcutt is, his influence is all over the pitch whether he has the ball or not. I was also impressed by the industry of Tom Hopper and that’s to name just two of this wonderful team.

Back at home I watched the TV presentation. I was going to leave that till Thursday but I couldn’t resist. I was pleased it wasn’t a Sunderland love in, which I was expecting but there was one hilarious moment when the summariser, whoever he was declared Sunderland were now really getting into the game. At that precise moment their keeper blasted the ball at Brennan Johnson. Nine times out of ten the ball would cannon off for a goal kick or something but, gloriously, fell at Johnsons feet for the easiest tap in he’ll ever score. That almost summed the game up. The goal keeper of the season, according to some gifted City a two goal advantage and meanwhile, in our hour of need the Imps fielded stand in keeper, Joe Bursik who played as if his life depended on it. I hope, wherever his career takes him he has good luck. After that display we’ll all be forever grateful.

I thought about something as we waited to be released from the stadium, right back to when I started writing, for the PFA’s website. Articles had to go to an editor for approval and inevitably the headline was altered. It was my first published effort and, on reflection it probably was a bit over the top, welcome to our new Lincoln City writers column, that sort of thing, that got deleted but the changed headline read “The life and times of a Lincoln City fan”. The life and times of a Lincoln City fan. Welcome to my world. It feels pretty good at this moment.

End of term report: exceeded all expectations.

 

Well here we are, end of the season proper and we’re in the playoffs. Not unexpected, in fact we’ve looked nailed on for it, give or take a few wobbles, most of the season.

As we enter that period, bit like in between Christmas and new year in many ways, where nothing much happens, that we know about anyway, and we anticipate the climax to come. Will they, won’t they? It doesn’t much matter as City face the prospect of either Forest and Sheffield United or Wednesday and Rotherham. Boo hoo.

So as we contemplate the season past. How did we do? It’s all good.

The board of directors and Chairman. What can you say? Ten out of ten. In a world where strong and stable are words somewhat discredited, that is exactly what we got. Firm management, no complaining about our lot, goodness only knows what has been going on behind the scenes but the outward view has been business as usual. This is, I appreciate, out of our orbit, but the Super League debacle, nonsensical sackings, Sheffield United, Spurs and, yes Forest Green Rovers. City sail on. Up the A46 a club in freefall takes another lurch downwards. There’s a bump but is it rock bottom or a tree temporarily arresting the fall? It’s mildly amusing but personally I take no pleasure in a local club floundering. The same can be said for Scunthorpe United, all seemed to be well as they defied gravity. They too hung on by the skin of their teeth.

The manager and team. I’ve experienced some good managers but Appleton is the pick of the crop in my view. Bill Anderson was before my time. Colin Murphy has to be given credit for sustaining multiple successes, including restoring our league place and of course Graham Taylor and the Cowleys but Appleton shows every sign of being the best of all. Furthermore, and I hope I’m not being naïve here, the pain he has suffered in his management career may make him think twice before moving on although it has to be said being the Lincoln City manager is not the pinnacle of a career but lets hope he sees his job here as unfinished. When you look at the bench with all those specialists about it does make you think how far the club has come.

The fans. I have to mention Matchday Live. I don’t know what other clubs do, maybe the same but my one regret, when everything returns to normal, will be that we won’t have this fantastic entertainment, pre match. Well done Sam and Gary. As for the rest of us, we’ve done all we can. Stuck with the club. Those that were able to afford it, have invested in the club by taking shares rather than a cash refund for season tickets and paid for ifollow, home and away.

So to the team. If I was to list all the players who have done well this season it would be, well, a list of all the players. Within the confines of ifollow I’ve enjoyed seeing them all. In the player of the season vote I went for Jorge Grant but it was with a bit of a heavy heart this year as I think Conor McGrandles ran him close, as did Lewis Montsma and Tayo Edun and Alex Palmer. Harry Andersons eclipse is a bit painful, hopefully the summer will see him rejuvenated and of course there will be some of our favourites we will never see in the flesh, in a City shirt but I thank them all for their efforts and for the entertainment and joy they’ve brought us.

There we are then, but it’s not the end of the matter. The Imps go into the playoff competition minus something all the other players and managers will be bearing. Expectation. Whatever happens we will either be somewhere very few of us can recall or somewhere most of us have very little experience of. That’s not too shabby is it?

City pay the penalty for defensive lapses.

 

Right, well there’s only one thing to talk about after the pulsating draw against Peterborough United where Lincoln City sealed their place in the league one playoffs but instead of being the ones celebrating a superb and exciting win that not only secured their place in the end of season promotion lottery but also kept alive their albeit slender hopes of automatic promotion, thus prolonging the agony for Peterborough, instead found themselves trooping off the pitch, for the second week running with the sound of their opponents celebrating their own promotion to the championship.

Thanks to ineptitude, inattention to detail, stardust, call it what you will the referee conspired to hand promotion to Posh when, instead of seeing Szmodics slip/dive for what it was, and either booked the player for simulation or waved the penalty away by which time City would have survived the onslaught and claimed the win that would have seen the Imps seal their play off place and take the season on. It should have been City whooping with delight as Peterborough trooped off dejectedly and we, watching at home could have recognised City’s achievement and praised a remarkable campaign in which the Imps extended the season and gave themselves a golden chance of promotion at only the second time of asking, having been promoted the season before last.

One can only hope the referees assessor gave referee Busby a hard time in his after match assessment of the match and reminded him that his gaffe has handed Peterborough an unwarranted promotion, at this moment and denied City two points. Of course, that would have surely been a temporary situation and Posh would have gone on to gain the point they needed to go up, but we’ll never know now will we?

As for Busby, who will surely find his photograph pinned up on many a dartboard in the Lincoln area, a salutary season in the National League would appear to be a suitable punishment, always assuming he is ever trusted with a game again.

And City? Well they must be shell shocked at having to watch their opponents celebrate for the second week running and hopefully will go on to show the assorted doubters, disgruntled fans and clubs jealous of our recent elevation to relative success, that they are deserving of their new found status and finish the job tackled so bravely and, lets face it, against all odds this season.

When all said and done it’s an unlikely achievement and even if the Imps come away from this season with no more than some good memories and a bit of experience I don’t think any of us will forget the journey.

Anyway, enough of this wallowing in pity due to a referee’s poor eyesight, City have work to do, they can see the prize, now go and grab it, you’ve seen first hand how to do it.