Fairytale of Blundell Park.

I’m beginning to really like this new manager, I like the playing style and I like his lack of ego. Just lately we’ve had David Preece and Grant Brown doing the post-match interviews. Given that Chris Moyses doesn’t come over particularly well on the radio and the others sound better this shows he is prepared to sacrifice a bit of limelight for the sake of the club.

We come now to Boxing Day. I wonder if you agree with me that this game summed up City’s season to a tee. City score early then attempt to sit on the lead, concede then end up chasing the game. Score a goal, score another but even then fail to shut the door, concede again to give us fans squeaky bums, again.

Having said the above, for me there is a major change from Gary Simpson, we’re much more a passing side now. Even Alan Buckley grudgingly conceded that on the radio. When it gets going we can really look good but of course, this being Lincoln City we can’t always keep it up. Against Alfreton in the trophy we looked distinctly average but at times on Friday we looked the part.

I don’t know what it is about Grimsby Town but beating them really is delicious. Maybe it’s because we haven’t done it all that often but this season we have, twice and didn’t they take it well? No! I love it.

I haven’t been to an away game for some considerable time but I’ve got a feeling that come New Year’s Day I’ll be at Alfreton. The desire to see the Imps overcoming the tedium of watching the same opponents several times this season.

Given that the manager is also a director of the club I’m hoping the new manager will not be on the first train out of town if he can conjure up some success, or am I getting ahead of myself?

First things first I think we need to bring the manager into the fold as it were. He has had a terribly difficult baptism as a manager, not in terms of results, they came almost immediately but in terms of us, the fans, accepting him. As always though results are everything in football and another not always popular figure, Bob Dorrian might just be proved right when he said the new management team may turn out to be a real surprise package.

So far so good. In fact very good.

Second half drama doesn’t gloss over a poor display.

It says something when a player who put in a cameo appearance fairly late in a game takes the man of the match. In truth though, as we were summing up performances prior to the announcement of the award, as you do, there was only one player who measured up despite his relatively short time on the pitch, Alan Power.

Power said after the match he wanted to let the fans and particularly the manager know he was still around. He certainly did that. The manager in turn and rather tellingly said that Power had trained well in the week and had distinguished himself in the loss to Grimsby. The inference being that presumably there had been times when the player had not impressed him, so Powers absence wasn’t all about team tactics and formations then.

Talking of formations, which I wouldn’t normally do here because I’m a fan and not the manager and therefore not qualified, It was obvious that City were trying a new line up as the game commenced. Those of us who were wondering who would be left out as a result of Thierry Audels return, meaning a third centre half in the matchday squad, got their answer. They were all going in. Miller and Newton pushed well up and it’s my guess Gary Simpson was hoping the three centre halves; Audel, Brown and Anderson would be well capable of taking care of the Wrexham attack leaving the full backs to maraud up the wings creating chances.

Maraud they did and chances were fashioned but not taken, a fact that was to dog City as the game progressed and in fact it was the Welshmen who were to take the lead and dominate the later stages with quite an audacious goal which was well taken. Wrexham’s frustration was there to see at the end as they were denied by Power’s own outrageous run and well taken effort.

Before that City went back to the usual four defenders, not by way of an admission that the tactics weren’t working but due to Audel complaining of cramp at half time. That meant Powers return and the game started to take on a different perspective after that and fans began to entertain the notion that a City goal could spark a revival that might even take all three points but it was not to be and in the end I would imagine most supporters, like me, were just grateful that the Imps had a share of the points and did not suffer a home defeat, with all the gloom and negativity that seems to bring these days.

There are several players who usually provide the candidates for the man of the match award, just to make it a bit more difficult for the sponsors who of course expose themselves to the derision of the crowd if they get it wrong, as the fans see it. Some of Powers previous MOM’s being a case in point but not this time. The likes of Newton, Miller, Sam-Yorke, Nolan, usually such solid performers never succeeded in lighting the blue touch paper. One player who stood out for me for all the wrong reasons, and I wouldn’t normally single out any team member but I do so because he’s my favourite and will find his way back into my good books next time I’m sure, was Tomlinson. He, as they say, had a ‘mare.

Will the real Lincoln City step forward?

Well you know how it is, we all assemble at Sincil Bank, pleasantries exchanged. Alan Long gets us all wound up, kind of; it’s all rather ironic in the Echo Stand:

“Echo Stand, good afternoon!!!

“Err……

City swagger on, yes they still swagger and for maybe ten minutes you get the impression its all going to be ok as City spray the ball about then, what happens? Those demons start to extricate themselves from behind the skirting boards, infiltrating the minds of our heroes. Two poor away performances take away the gloss of two decent home ones. What happened to the team that swept Macclesfield aside? The Imps start to labour, weighed down by the fact that they are expected to brush Telford from their shoulders. They’re bottom of the league.

Telford of course fight like demons, they’re fighting for their lives, you forget that in your expectation. They are looking into the abyss. We know, we’ve had a little look ourselves. Our own little devils gnaw away, lose today and the manager will go although not if you listened to Bob Dorrian on Friday football. He did however express his view that failure to secure maximum points from this and the next game would incur chairmanly disapproval and we all know where that can lead so no pressure there then?

Eventually Nolan drives purposefully into the box, finally City show some domination. What are you going to do Telford? There are two options, bring him down or let him do his worst. Crash, down he goes. The referee, who had a decent game, doesn’t have much of a decision to make and he does his duty.

Step forward Newton. He later tells BBC Radio Lincolnshire he meant to put his penalty up in the air. Would you argue with him? Me neither. In the words of David Coleman, one nil, despite the Telford keeper getting good contact on the ball.

The shackles are off and once Tomlinson has doubled City’s lead with a lovely strike City eventually begin to show how much better they were than Telford. They should have had more, many more.

I couldn’t help feeling how fragile City looked. Better opponents would have scampered away from Sincil Bank with the points but they remained in Lincoln. It’s about time we and manager Gary Simpson had some luck and our luck was to play one of the worst sides to come to Lincoln for some considerable time and do the necessary. That’s not to say they were not some good performances. I cited Newton as my man of the match before the announcement was made but Sam-Yorke, Miller, Tomlinson, Nat Brown (for it is he) and Townsends name (once he had got over an attack of the jitters) would not have elicited groans had they been given the award. So one down one to go and let’s not be too critical. Don’t forget Gary, the chairman would be most disappointed if we don’t win the next one too and we don’t want Bob to be disappointed do we?

Opinions split as City make it four points out of six.

I thought it was a cracking game down at Sincil Bank last Tuesday v Gateshead as City did battle against a very robust and purposeful Gateshead who passed the ball well and generally looked the full nine yards. One elderly fan however muttered what a disgrace it all was all the way out of the stadium whilst the majority of the fans applauded. It was the same story on the radio, praise and brickbats.

I sent a text to a friend about halfway through the first half to say we really had our work cut out and yet City did eventually get their noses in front courtesy of Tom Anderson who needed quite a bit of treatment afterwards (I said they were uncompromising) but it didn’t last long and then City and Gateshead proceeded to knock seven bells out of each other in their quest to win the game.

I thought City looked the strongest at the end but there again I would wouldn’t I? Manager Gary Simpson said on BBC Radio Lincolnshire it was a great advert for Conference football and I’d agree with that. It was student night and whilst the pot took a while to come to the boil once it got going it was well worth the effort.

City take a stroll in the park. Then press the self destruct button-but it was still a stroll in the park.

City manager Gary Simpson said on Friday football on BBC Radio Lincolnshire that if things didn’t improve then there would have to be changes. “Of manager?” asked interviewer Su Whitaker. This rather took the wind out of the sails of the Imps supremo who I’m sure meant anything but that but was forced to concede that City’s latest form, even given the beating of arch rivals Grimsby Town, meant that if he couldn’t engineer the necessary turnaround then he might be dusting down his CV sooner than he thought. As was pointed out in the studio though, any new manager coming in would have to work with the present squad; such is the reality of the transfer window. Could a new broom do any better with the players we have?

Perhaps we saw the answer to that as a City team featuring a fit again Nat Brown, Arnaud Mendy, Karl Ledsham and Delano Sam-Yorke set about Macclesfield Town with a vengeance. I’m coming to appreciate more and more the value to the team Nat Brown brings. I think it fair to say that few fans would name Nat as their favourite player, he's awkward and if he’s going to one day turn into a swan he’s taking an awful long time about it but there he was doing what he does well and the defence had a bit more security about it, not that Macc particularly tested them.

Four players in meant that there was no starting place for Diagne,Power,Nolan and Marshall, they all warmed the bench. There was the usual cagey start before City powered ahead with goals from Miller and Tomlinson. It looked as if we could all relax and enjoy what promised to be a comfortable victory, maybe a couple more goals to compliment a lovely late September afternoon at Sincil Bank.

This, dear reader, is Lincoln City so those of us with a more cynical outlook may have been unsurprised to say the least that City decided that this was all far too easy and how much more exciting it would be if they were to try to get their season back on track with just ten men? Jordan Burrow, for me well on his way to a man of the match award with an all action display, clattered into the very dangerous Adriano Moke leaving the referee, for all the managers complaints after the match, no option but to flourish the red card. Simpson had rather more grounds to complain about some of the yellows though and surely City’s small squad will pay the price for that later on.

Macclesfield started the second half in a way I certainly didn’t expect with a very easy on the eye style but really didn’t make inroads in to Imps territory managing just one shot late in the second half. Their passing was crisp and accurate but if I were a Macc fan I think I would have been disappointed that my side had not had a real go at City but there you go. I’m not and they didn’t so in the end it was a very pleasing result and an enjoyable performance.

Miller, in fact got man of the match, to general approval but it could easily have been Bencherif, Ledsham or any one of several City players who had excellent games not the least Delano Sam-Yorke who ran himself into the ground for the cause and came off to a deserved ovation.

Nat sits out one match.

We’ve all been bristling with righteous indignation at Nat Brown’s sending off and the red card has now been upheld and Nat will sit out a one match ban.
Imps player was not available when I wrote my blog but it is now and I can see that Nat prevented a goalscoring opportunity. It was a handball although the ball was drilled at Brown from close distance so how deliberate it was we don't know, the referee didn't give him the benefit of the doubt at the match or when it was reviewed. We shall just have to take it on the chin and get on with it. I said in the last article I’ve seen those sort of incidents brushed off by the referee and I stand by that but the referee did call it correctly and we must accept that. I’m really not very good at assimilating these incidents at the match, I’m a fan not a manager or referee but Chris Ashton did call it correctly in the commentary and naturally I bow to his superior knowledge. Referees are there to be shouted at anyway.
I can’t see Miller being back in time but we shall just have to see. The problem with going for quality over quantity in the squad means we are always going to struggle to fill the gaps when first choices are out. At least it’s just the one game.

Dismissal shows Nat’s importance to the team.

It’s getting to be a theme now but, once again City played with ten men, this time for virtually the whole of the match as Nat Brown was shown a straight red for a deliberate handball. It would be quicker to list the games the Imps have managed to survive with all the players on the pitch than those where they have suffered a sending off.

There was of course much debate in the stands as to the correctness of the decision, for my money the handball was one of those you’ve seen ignored by the officials as mere clumsy play and, Imps player not being available yet I really can’t say whether Nat was the last man or not. I can say though that it changed the course of the game.

City looked good after the sending off passing well and looking committed. If anything Torquay were thrown out of kilter and the Imps led via a penalty. I didn’t think there was much validity to that either. Was the referee trying to even things up?

After that good spell City started to retreat somewhat and Nat’s absence began to tell, especially with Miller still being out the defence. He may be something of an unappreciated player but without Browns workmanlike contribution and guidance City looked vulnerable. It was no surprise when Torquay levelled and took the game. It may be that the outcome was always going to be the way it turned out but I pay my money to have the players decide the result not a referee hoping for better things on the strength of another “look at me” display. It wasn’t just the referee either, a string of unfathomable offside decisions underlined a poor display by the officials. For a division just one step below the football league this standard really isn’t good enough.