Done deal?

No sooner had I raised the supposition that there would be some kind of inquest into David Holdsworths tenure as Lincoln City manager than word starts to get around that the club are in negotiation with Mr Holdsworth in respect of a new contract or I suppose I should say a contract given that we were told the manager has been operating without one. This was confirmed later on with chairman Bob Dorrian on BBC Lincolnshire saying now that City’s league position was secured the club was to move forward and a deal should be thrashed out.


Perhaps there was some discussion at boardroom level; we’re not going to find out so we now await further developments. City have nailed their colours to the mast saying before Holdsworth was appointed that no Imps manager is going to get a long contract, unless of course it suits City to do so and that would mean success which would be nice, so a rolling contract presumably.

Having mentioned the possibility that a longer contract could eventually be offered to a successful manager you do wonder if it would be signed, certainly in Holdsworths case. If the rumour mill is correct he applied for the Rotherham job so don’t expect him to hang around if things take an upward turn. That’s starting to sound like wishful thinking though.

In the meantime, two more games to be played. After the thumping of Darlington and the result against Fleetwood which was a shot in the arm even given that a two goal lead was given away, City will be hoping to continue their strong finish. After all there are season tickets to be sold and Mr Holdsworth will have to get his salesman’s hat on. Publicity is one area; I think we are all agreed the manager is particularly strong in.

The Party Poopers

City at least saved some face by refusing to play patsy to Fleetwood Town and gave as good as they got to deny the champions their prize at Lincoln City’s expense.


Ironically the point gained on Friday night not only was insufficient for Fleetwood but was also too little to ensure complete safety for Lincoln and both teams got what they needed the next day, in City’s case courtesy of Mansfield beating Hayes & Yeading who are the final visitors to Sincil Bank next weekend.

To say we will all be glad of a break from this most disappointing and mediocre of seasons would be an understatement but we should be grateful for small mercies and at least a second relegation has been spared with two games to go.

For Lincoln City’s board the not inconsiderable task not only of absorbing what is presumably another significant financial loss and subsequent trimming of budget for next season at a time the fans will be expecting at least a tilt at the playoffs but in addition the weighty conundrum of the managers position.

Just looking firstly at the financial position, having spoken to disaffected season ticket holders, City will have their work cut out keeping a significant number of their support on board. Not only have the Imps put on some exceedingly poor spectacles at Sincil Bank this season but the season ticket holders have seen their not inconsiderable investment eroded by various offers and inducements in a desperate effort to get bums on seats. Again, speaking to fellow fans there’s a feeling that games at the Bank just have no sense of occasion any more and you wonder how many parents see being a mascot for example as the sort of present of a lifetime that it once was especially given the many distractions available to children these days and how many company chiefs will see matchday sponsorship as a worthwhile investment now Sincil Bank is such an unhappy place.

We turn now to the sixty four thousand dollar question: The manager’s position. The remit was, we presume or were we told? Keep City up. David Holdsworth is able to point to the fact that he has achieved this with games to spare. He has also significantly trimmed the wage bill and, again we presume, pulled in more than a few favours in operating the management of the club on a shoestring. Perhaps there was a deal, keep us up and you’re in. Either way it’s a difficult one. Again, talking to fans and reading the various fan web sites David Holdsworth has not won over a significant number of the support despite the fact that he is the only manager since Keith Alexander to actually carry out the requirements of the board of directors.

It’s very easy to criticise the board for their decisions and their actions. It’s easy on a website such as this to point the finger, be wise after the event, say I wouldn’t have done this or that and generally be a clever dick. As Nick Clegg is finding out it’s not so easy when you stick your head above the parapet and the rotten tomatoes start flying. As previously mentioned it could well be that this seasons shoestring finances will look like a fortune next term and the faithful will be expecting more than another relegation battle. If the board thought this season was bad it might seem like a walk in the park next Christmas. I wish them well and I’m glad it’s not my decision.

Lincolnshire this week.

A row between two councils has meant a proposed major revamp in Sleaford has had to be put on hold. North Kesteven District Council has started work on converting the long disused Bass Maltings into shops offices houses and apartments but the project is dependant upon Sleaford Town Council selling land for a new road. They have expressed reservations as the road will do away with a level crossing. Unlike in Lincoln where everyone is keen to see an end to the anachronistic barriers it would seem in Sleaford they’re determined to hang on to them. There can only be one winner though and the District Council have one weapon up their sleeves, compulsory purchases. Councillor Phillip Rowson told BBC Lincolnshire:-


"It needs that expansion, it needs that new road, it needs infrastructure.

"You are dealing with growth, you are dealing with a multimillion-pound development and, not unusually, you need new infrastructure to make the development work properly.

"What we can't have is a series of developments which are going to generate a great deal of traffic, which can't be reached and accessed safely."

A group of French travellers have taken up residence on Lincolns South Common in what is becoming an annual stand off. The City council have issued an eviction notice and with the April Fun Fair due to start arriving this weekend something has got to give.

The museum of Lincolnshire Life has received a boost this week in the form of a grant of £335000 from the Arts Council and £200000 from Lincolnshire County Council. The money will be used to give a makeover to the reception gift shop and courtyard over the next ten months. The Council says the improvements will reduce the attractions carbon footprint. Councillor Eddy Poll, executive member for cultural services, said: "Since the introduction of free entry three years ago, the museum has been going from strength to strength.

"This project represents the next exciting step for the museum and an opportunity to ensure its long-term success in telling the story of the people of Lincolnshire and their shared cultural heritage."

Is it really a year since mention was made in this blog of the Boston big clean up? Well it must be as the initiative has reported over three tons of rubbish has been collected from around the district. Staff from McDonalds joined the effort this year together with Asda, Boston Borough Council, Boston Mayflower, Longhurst and Havelok Homes, North Sea Camp, Fly Swat Team, Black Sluice IDB, Tulip Ltd, Lincolnshire County Council, Framework Housing, Holy Trinity, Environment Agency, Kier Maintenance, Salvation Army, New Life Fellowship, Centenary Church, Angling Association and Boston College. Jen Moore, who organized the event, told the Boston Target:-

"The enthusiasm and friendly atmosphere never ceases to amaze me, all helped along by the wonderful support we get from the churches in Boston who prepare and serve lunches for all of the volunteers throughout the week long clean up and also Councillor Yvonne Gunter on teas and coffees.

"A big thank you this year must go to the Environment Agencies operations team headed up by Adam Robinson, they not only supported the clean up each day during the week but also provided litter pickers for all the volunteers.

"Thanks should also go to the Witham Tavern, Fenside Community Centre, Salvation Army and the Holy Trinity Church who provided a much needed tea stop and toilet facilities."

With the county joining the rest of Eastern England and the South in a hosepipe ban Anglian Water is considering buying water in from neighbouring Severn Trent who are not experiencing a drought. Having said that, the moment the ban was announced the heavens opened and it has hardly stopped raining since. Nevertheless AWA have stressed that people must take steps to preserve water themselves but at the same time are making plans to alleviate future problems. A spokesman said:-

"We are talking to Severn Trent about this idea and it's one that we are taking seriously,"

"We are exploring a number of options to help support the drought-hit region, including the movement of water across water company boundaries.

"In the short term, though, it's vital that everyone takes steps to save water in the home.

"Large-scale support like this scheme could help, but even if we are able to make it work, it won't mean we can cancel this summer's hosepipe ban."

Here’s hoping the ban doesn’t put a dampener on your weekend. Have a good one.

City fans can look forward to more mediocrity next season.

A couple of days after presenting their credentials as the worst City side many of us can remember at Stockport the Imps went some way to making amends by putting five past Darlington. It’s going to seem churlish after such a one sided romp but Lincoln really should have won more emphatically against a side who are possibly the poorest professional team your correspondent can remember seeing in fifty years of spectating, the Doncaster side memorably described as being ”systematically dismantled” by Chris Ashton being the nearest to them. In those days you could get a first team game for Donny if you were mates with the chairman.


At four – nil just before half time and with a man sent off Darlington were not only on the ropes but facing a mauling against a City side that had finally thrown off the shackles at Sincil Bank and were threatening a record score against this rag tag outfit containing Drewe “Jonah” Broughton, Clark Keltie and Aaron Brown all with the Imps last season underlining the paucity of talent at the Bank last term. The fact that City did not totally run riot due to not so much taking their foot off the gas but rather turning into a poor mans, ok very poor mans Arsenal trying to pass the ball into the net rather than shooting when they had the chance.

It’s a measure of how shell shocked the Lincoln faithful are that even five up and a man to spare no one was counting their chickens but a sort of ram shackle clean sheet was achieved and so, short of a cataclysmic collapse and stratospheric upturn in Hayes & Yeadings form City survive to compete at this level for another season. The same can’t be said for Darlington who escaped the executioners axe this time but he surely won’t miss with his next swing.

Imps fans have been clamouring for a starting place for Danny Lloyd and he took full advantage with two goals. David Holdsworth attempted to explain Lloyds start as all part of the plan but the reality is probably more to do with the Imps crippling injury situation but, no matter, Lloyd duly obliged with City’s opener and he followed that up with a fortuitous, but they all count, shot that hit a defender and looped over keeper Pickford and into the net. When you’re down you’re down. Two for Louis and a goal for Taylor completed the scoring but really one or more City players ought to have filled their boots and Fleetwood are unlikely to prove generous hosts on Friday. Still, stranger things have happened particularly to teams on the cusp of glory.

Heaven is a place on earth and it’s right on our doorstep.

On our annual pilgrimage to the Peak District last week taking the bikes with us to make use of the numerous and growing provision of traffic free cycle ways. These are in the main old railway lines and therefore reasonably flat whilst taking in some of the loveliest scenery and all this under an hour and a half from Lincoln.


Our cottage this year was Pumpkin Cottage (www.pumpkincottage.com) in the delightful village of Youlgrave. Obviously our first piece of good luck was the weather which was exceptional for late March, so different to the way it is as I write, the Ashbourne to Buxton road is blocked with snow, last week it was shorts and tee shirts.

Youlgrave is a typical upland village, the houses really hem in the road in the centre so there is no parking outside. The owners of the cottage had an arrangement with the pub down the road, the Farmyard Inn, to park in their car park. This was our second piece of good news as, there being no parking fee it was only right to spend a little cash in the pub and this was no hardship as the beer was well kept and the food delicious, freshly prepared and using local produce some from the local butcher, which was also a find. The only downside was the current tenants of the pub are about to depart to pastures new but I give the website address in the hope standards don’t fall too far in the future but it’s a hard act to follow. It’s www.farmyardinn.co.uk.

The cottage was a delight too and we soon settled in, everything for a relaxing stay was provided, there was even a garden to sit in to enjoy the sun and we made ourselves at home, parking the bikes in the stone built shed which adjoined the house.

We’re no strangers to the area so set off for a favourite route, the Monsal Trail. Once part of the Derby to Manchester line this trail takes you through the wonderful scenery of Monsal Dale over a magnificent viaduct and through some newly re opened old railway tunnels which had been blocked off until recently. As is the case with a lot of these trails there are some businesses opening up along the route and some toilet provision too so it’s very civilised. At the halfway point (although you can carry on to a certain extent but not on the flat) we enjoyed an ice cream at Blackwell Mill Cottages. You can hire bikes here and also towards the other end of the trail, Hassop Station where there is a café and book store together with a car park. Plenty of diversions if you’re not a mad keen cyclist.

Next day was the longest ride of the holiday, the Tissington Trail. We started at Ashbourne so as to be riding slightly uphill for the first part of the journey. It does have quite a pronounced slope given that it was a railway. We stopped for a picnic at Hartington before turning back down the gradient this time stopping off at Tissington a lovely village with a magnificent Hall featuring a tea room. This was the attraction and we enjoyed a restorative cuppa. You could allow enough time to visit the hall too but it was too early in the year for us, opening at Easter. There is bike hire at Ashbourne on this trail.

Next day, gluttons for punishment we visited the High Peak Trail a wonderfully remote and atmospheric ride. Once one of the oldest railway lines in the country it was built by canal engineers and so features slopes where the trains used to be hauled up by stationary engines. Being canny riders we avoided them and started at Minninglow which really is in the middle of nowhere. We made our way to Parsley Hay which is a very busy meeting point as the trail meets up with the Tissington trail near this point. There are toilets, shop, bike hire and a snack bar here together with a car park. It’s a mystery why a station was built here but it’s a very busy and sociable place. Just along the trail is a very pleasant pub serving excellent beer and food. It’s a convenient place to turn round and head back.

Thursday was a break from cycling, just like the Tour De France. We caught the train from Buxton to Manchester. A shoppers paradise so I’m informed. I headed for the Manchester Art Gallery.

Friday turned a bit cooler so we cycled from Bakewell on the Monsal Trail again, not with a great deal of conviction. A nice cup of tea at Hassop Station and we rode back to the end of the trail at Coomes Road viaduct back to Bakewell having negotiated one or two of those tunnels again. It looks like work is being done to extend the trail towards Haddon Hall. A wander around one of our favourite Derbyshire towns, the sun had warmed up by now. We bought a print of todays trail then headed home for a bath and fish and chips at the Farmyard.

This was a marvellous and reasonably priced holiday. The locals are friendly and welcoming. Our accommodation was of good quality and reasonably priced. I’d happily recommend any of the establishments noted.

A case of deja vu

For quite some time, having not watched the Imps for a week or two, I sat at Sincil Bank last night wondering if I was seeing a changed team. The tempo was brisk, passing good and City were more than matching a team considerably higher up the table.


Listening to David Holdsworths remarks on the radio after the game I don’t know about battering Cambridge, that was overdoing it but things were going ok. Then Joe Anyon started that, I’m as good as an outfield player malarkey instead of booting the ball out, next thing he’s picking the ball out of the net as the defence, in a rare lapse it has to be said, allowed the Peter Crouch like Harry Pell to weave through them and deliver a cross for Tom Shaw to net. Plus ca change.

The game wore on, City got less and less effective. The much vaunted Danny Lloyd’s introduction amid a flurry of subs could not raise City’s game and it petered out to a narrow loss. We’ve seen a lot of them so not much new there. More possession, more shots for City could have produced a different result. The team certainly would have been worthy recipients of a point but that’s how it is when you’re struggling. Games against Stockport and Darlo to come in quick succession, winnable games both. A decent return from those games and things might look a bit more rosy. Defeat might be a return to squeaky bums. Do hope not.

That was the week that was.

I’ll have to go on holiday more often if this is the result, three games, three wins puts a whole new perspective on the Imps fortunes but, such has been the poor run previously that City are far from out of the woods, especially after last seasons experience where the team went on a similarly good run only to implode at the death.


Fans who had written off manager David Holdsworth as a dead man walking are also having to revise their opinion of the great communicator. Is this now the real deal or can we look forward to some more ineffectual tinkering once funds allow? It has been commented upon that, now City are fielding a more settled side success is following. Can the manager curb his meddling nature?

On the subject of the manager fans seem to be more willing to give the benefit of the considerable doubts they had, myself included and the view seems to be, let’s look at the situation at the end of the season. If this form continues then possibly a reasonable contract should be discussed. Any return to the abject failure of the previous few weeks then definitely not.

All this does rather detract from the good work Holdsworth has done, the trimming of the wages bill and the communication with the fans has been both needed and carried out well so it’s not all criticism but the future has to be the form at the moment and not previously. A club of Lincoln City’s stature should be performing the way we have of late at this level and fans satisfaction and the gates for home games have dropped well below where they should be.

This brings us to tonight’s home game against Cambridge. City have done well against teams bumping along the bottom in the last week. Now is a chance to see how they do against a team doing rather better. Not so much better than the Imps though and they certainly need not fear anyone after the run they have been on.