Incomplete City too much for Fleetwood.

 

We were saying at the game the playoffs really do a club no favours in terms of preparation for the next season. Fleetwood, whilst player for player not at the level of City, looked a more polished outfit. Having said that the Imps side they faced bore little resemblance to the one that will be playing in a few weeks but City eventually and with no certainty that they would, gradually began to ease into the game equalising and in the dying moments winning the match. I think it was deserved but if I were a Fleetwood fan, and that includes the very snappily dressed Fleetwood directors next to us in the Selenity (is it still called that?) I might have a different opinion.

There were a lot of unfamiliar faces in the posh seats so I presume they were from the north west and when Fleetwood got their noses in front with an absolute worldy free kick they celebrated wildly, as well they might.

It was a good job there were plenty of directors and other hangers on in the white seats because there were precious few in the away end. I know they aren’t well supported, another one of those clubs that seemed to just appear in the league propped up with someone’s money rather than supported by fans but I thought it was a poor effort attendance wise and contributed to a not ever so inspiring gate although there was a rip-roaring atmosphere despite the wide open spaces at either end.

As for City, well this isn’t the team we’ll be watching later on. We know that but, despite the frustration of watching the Imps, almost in slow motion grind Fleetwood down and eventually overcome them there was plenty to enjoy, no more so than Liam Bridcutt who was nothing short of majestic. It’s too much to hope he can perform like that week in week out. If he could, get your money on City to win the league.

For a long time though it looked as if it was going to be a long hard season, it was certainly a long hard game but there were bright spots to enjoy. Tayo Edun was a joy in the first half. Defensively, apart from that free kick the Imps coped reasonably. Scully was, well, Scully. He’s playing for the right team as he’s a proper imp and of course he showed what he can do with his equaliser that I’m yet to watch again but I’m looking forward to it and then that penalty. That took guts but it’s what he’s paid for but it was a lesson in straightforwardness. Decide where you’re going to hit it then do just that, hard as you can. Shame some rather more exalted players didn’t do that in the summer, we might have had even better memories of these weird times. There were others I’ll not name as you know who they are, cameo’s, vignettes of excitement. I’ve got a good feeling about the entertainment although unsure of where we’ll be at the end of the season.

I don’t know whether your memory goes back as long as mine but there was a TV show called Dallas where the scriptwriters sort of ran out of ideas with the plot so had this ridiculous notion of simply starting again, one of the characters declaring what had been going on had all been a dream. It felt like that yesterday. Same surroundings, a bit tarted up. Same seats, same familiar faces around us, same tension, same journey to the stadium, same pub. Glad to be back? You bet we were.