Hold on tight please.

 

Here’s a little pointer for those of you who have joined us in the last few years. This is the reality of supporting Lincoln City, not the meteoric rise we’ve seen lately. You’ll sit through games that you’re convinced City should have won at a canter only for the team to collapse in a heap. That situation goes on for too long. Then, just like in your younger days, you land a date with that good looking girl down the road. You think, this is well out of my league but we’ll give it a go. She thinks you’re hilarious and wants to repeat the experience. You know how that one ends up too don’t you?

So, having endured a fairly catastrophic series of home games where City should have filled their boots but instead came away with nothing, not bad performances apart from Gillingham which was, well, I’ve used catastrophic already but that’s what it was and we now approach a fixture that is the embodiment of getting promoted to a higher league, glamourous, shiny, big time, according to them, Sheffield Wednesday. 

To be honest, even given the experience we’ve all had recently when, despite my previously held conviction that there was no way City were going to get relegated, we were facing just that possibility but for some reason I quite fancied our chances. The reason for that, I’ll call it no more than hope, is that Wednesday would come and play us, unlike the previous outings where our opponents’ sole preoccupation was not to be beaten, only to be presented with a gilt edged opportunity to win the game which of course, they grasp like a drowning man who will grab on to anything to survive. The only thing you could say is that their subsequent opponents are not as generous as us and you just got the feeling if City could just garner the odd point here and there that may well be sufficient.

All of which brings us to the visit of the Owls. House full signs up, metaphorically of course, the hoards in blue and white, I was glad Wednesday wore their traditional colours, the scene was set. We were going to have to be on our mettle, the fans I mean but it applied to the team too and of course that’s exactly what happened. City took an early lead, that’s not all that unusual and Wednesday equalised, that’s not unheard of either but what is a rarity is that the Imps got straight back to business, undaunted, just by way of a change and proceeded to take the game by the scruff of the neck.

I should, I suppose make a list of the players who performed well but that would merely be all the team so lets just name two that particularly pleased me. Brooke Norton-Cuffy. This lad will play for Arsenal’s first team, I’m convinced of that. Every game smooths a bit more rough edge off and he’s going to go back to London a much improved player probably equipped to fight for a place in their first team squad. We next come to a player who has frustrated me, Lewis Fiorini. I’m not going to make a similar prediction for him at Man City but, my goodness we saw yesterday a complete performance from him that may yet force me to reappraise that. I don’t know who won Man of the Match yesterday but if he didn’t, I can’t think why.

So, there we are. A wonderful experience, a marvellous performance against a very good Wednesday team. The fans stood up to be counted, our heroes stood up to be counted. No queuing up to get out of the stadium being deafened by the away fans, in fact there weren’t that many of them in the Stacey West when we left. Good.

A corner turned? Possibly. A relaxing end to the season? Don’t bank on it.