And Relax.

 

When you think about it, City did what they’ve often done this season. Play really well for about half an hour. The difference this time was that three goals were scored in that spell whereas we’re used to seeing the Imps batter but the door isn’t breached.

Whether this was because Cheltenham weren’t very good, on the beach or City were brilliant I don’t really know although looking back at the play Cheltenham weren’t that bad and City were, if not brilliant, pretty good.

It was all a lot better than I was beginning to fear and this is all from rueful experience, of City just not getting any more points and our fellow relegation candidates suddenly hitting the turbo charge button leaving us wondering what happened whilst contemplating another season back in the basement division.

Anyway that didn’t happen and instead we contemplate another season in the comparatively rarefied atmosphere of league one where we will be joined by Derby County. I think I may have mentioned in the blog before but way back, having got a job and a car, although, come to think of it we had a decent train service then and you could get to Derby without changing trains, I often used to head for the old Baseball Ground for some top class football entertainment. What entertainment it was too although thinking back to the pitch and looking at our perfect surface, after a season I don’t know how they produced such quality on it.

So we now look forward to the remaining two games with partially detached anticipation, either our heroes, shorn of the fear of playing for points that will define the season, one way or the other may relax and treat us to more of the enterprise on show yesterday or (more likely) do a Cheltenham and look not too bothered about it. I do hope we see more of the same as there are still season tickets to be sold. As good as the sales have been I can imagine there is a considerable shortfall between sales for next season and those for the last one.

I can’t see the point in slogging through this stop start season only to put a dent in next terms budget by not sticking with the Imps, always accepting, of course that financially for many of our supporters’ things are getting pretty tight. What else are you going to do on a Saturday though, go shopping?

Chances are the likes of Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Portsmouth and now Derby County will be visiting and given the stadium is not to be made larger, not that it would have been ready for next season, a season ticket is the only chance of guaranteeing a ticket for these big games. I do hope those who have not purchased will find the means of doing so as there’s no better sight and sound than a full LNER stadium.

I said a week or two ago that I could see the basis of a good side emerging from the players we’ve seen and yesterday underlined that. Plus of course the return, or arrival of players who have been out on loan, having had, in most cases a successful time of it and City’s reputation being done no harm by the improvement in Lewis Fiorini’s and Brooke Norton-Cuffy's game after their time with us, hopefully Manchester City and others may see fit to let some more of their talent come to us to further their education. This aspect should be seen as the icing on the cake rather than relying on loans to produce a team but nevertheless, what a time it is to be an Imp seeing these young players emerge into the spotlight with us rather than enviously watching them appear for supposedly bigger and better outfits.

 

 

City pay the penalty for not being famous.

 

Once again we trudged out of the LNER stadium deafened by the cheers of the victors. Sour grapes alert, Wigans following was pathetic, for a team not that long ago in the prem. They were loud though.

I was trying to think, when we were top of a league, whether referees and their assistants, starstruck by our glamour, fell over themselves to award redress for our opponents transgressions or failed to punish our own mis deeds. I don’t think we got anything much but there again we're neither famous nor fashionable, are we?

Yesterday we saw another dazzled in the headlights of our illustrious (tongue in cheek alert) opposition on the part of our referee and assistant who failed to spot, to mention just two, a blatant foul in the box, waved away, you’re not famous and a foul which led to a Wigan goal. You’re not getting that, they used to be in the prem you know.

Michael Appleton maintained this was a good performance by City. I don’t know about that but it certainly wasn’t bad and just to show I’m not completely biased you have to say the Latics were a decent outfit and did what winners do, took their chances.

What I will say is, despite the loss I thought I could see the heart of a decent side in City. There will be quite a bit of tweaking in the close season and maybe one or two surprises to come, as there needs to be given that the Imps still aren’t out of the relegation scrap with few games to come but I’ll say it again, the nucleus is there.

As to the next few games I believe those below us will fail to gain the necessary points to overhaul us as much as City gaining the required points but, even in this stuttering season points have been accumulated along the way so I’m not sweating (yet)

It’s easy to be jealous of the likes of Wigan, down and out one minute and top of the league the next but we should be grateful to our own benefactors, Clive Nates and the Sportvest and other investors who put their money in an unfashionable club in an unfashionable area, just for enjoyment. The least we can do, when the going gets tough, is to recognise what they are doing and the financial and business expertise involved. What’s the alternative? To go back to where we’ve been as long as I’ve been following the Imps. Thanks but no thanks.