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.