Lincoln City making an extraordinary season the norm.

I had an exchange with a fan on social media in the week, you know the sort of thing, letting our imaginations run away with us a bit but we finished the chat agreeing on one thing. This is not a normal season for the Imps and these are possibly once in a lifetime opportunities for we supporters, anyone connected with the club in fact.

For other clubs these times may be commonplace, not for us. I had a family member connected with the club, at boardroom level and I’m a shareholder. City’s problems have rarely, if ever, been about how to fit more fans in the ground, how to make sure the toilets flush as there are that many people using them, how to get the irrigation system to function properly for much the same reason.

City’s history, for those who have had to grapple with such matters, has been to do with lack of cash, attracting the right players and managers or having to make do with personnel who weren’t up to the job but were all the club could afford or persuade to come to Sincil Bank. Get bums on seats. Historically the board and management have had to be concerned with keeping the club afloat rather than ensuring a promotion bid comes to fruition. Even when the club had the players to achieve success finances have got in the way. Even great managers such as Graham Taylor and Colin Murphy have felt the cold wind of reality blowing away their aspirations.

Yesterdays win at Cheltenham underlined the sea change that the Cowley revolution has brought to our lives. Like me you probably thought oh yes, well we were expected to win there as indeed we were but that wasn’t the case last season, in fact we have rarely prospered there. Yesterday I read a Grimsby Town fan bemoaning their fate (yes I know, sorry) stating it was not the managers fault, years of neglect had led to their lowly position, the club train at a cricket pavilion on one and a half pitches. Well that was us last season.

As our team prepare for games at their state of the art elite performance centre and stay in a hotel whenever the manager deems it necessary, training at some high end venue or other and don’t have to rely on a wealthy benefactor helping them out it’s worth reminding ourselves this is Lincoln City, the new kids on the block when it comes to success. The ones with the FA Cup run, the Wembley winners, the ones the opposition manager has to think up his excuses well before the match because he knows almost certainly he’s going to need them. This is the reality of the moment.

Doesn’t it feel wonderful?

City head west to spa with Cheltenham

Every game is a battle for Lincoln City now and by the sound of their manager that is exactly what Cheltenham have been told to expect from the Imps. Excuse me while I yawn.

If that’s the limit of Cheltenham’s scouting information then they may get rather more than they bargained for, the last time I looked City were featuring a rather more measured game these days but, as they wish however it will take more than readiness for a battering ram approach. I rather wish I’d put a line through the gardening diary now and gone to see for myself.

Plenty will make the trip though as the advance ticket sales testify and it’s a journey I’ve made myself more than a few times and never with any noticeable success either but I’ve got a feeling this will not be a wasted journey for those of us of a red and white hue this time and it will take more than resolute defence to keep the Imps at bay.

After last Saturdays extraordinary last gasp winner at Sincil Bank I expect nothing less from the Imps today. Lets hope they don’t leave it quite so late though.

City close to being kicked out of the Checkatrade Trophy.

If you create a separate disciplinary system for a competition meaning any yellow cards are not counted against league matters do not be surprised if teams exploit that fact. Add into the mix an ineffective referee and a bit of local rivalry and you get last night’s foul fest at Sincil Bank.

As a spectacle it wasn’t a bad game and separate system or not one would presume the FA will want a word about the sheer number of yellow cards racked up by Mansfield in the first half. O’Connor saw red in the second but that was almost an irrelevance.

With fans boycotting the competition because of the perceived undertones of it you’d think the time would be right for a rethink. The fact that Mansfield don’t have a game at the weekend and City do and of course City are sitting pretty at the top of the division meant that the two clubs had a different outlook on the game. I don’t think anyone present at Sincil Bank last night were surprised to see Lee Frecklington go and get some tracksuit bottoms to keep warm on the bench and John Akinde remain seated. In any event the Imps are not out of it yet.

For all that I enjoyed it. There was a strange atmosphere with the usual vocalists absent, it was a decent crowd, 4200 which many clubs would be delighted with in the league but there seemed little in the way of fervour from the assembled Imps, perhaps it was the absence of our favourite Scotsman.

So there you are. City live to fight another day. Whether they do remains to be seen.

City still top and showing no sign of losing their grip.

Could Lincoln City spend virtually the whole season on top of league two? Surely not. This last two weeks I’ve looked at the opposition, firstly Notts County and yesterday Exeter City and wondered, is this the week the wheels fall off?

I was convinced the Magpies would use the momentum of the local derby to resurrect their season and rescue their beleaguered manager. No such misfortune. City strolled it and Kevin Nolan was sacked in the morning. The change didn’t do them good, they lost again, to Forest Green Rovers. Maybe another star on the shirt come the end of the season? Let’s hope not.

Yesterday I wondered if the previously superior Exeter City would be the ones to knock the Imps off their perch. I listened to the game on the radio. It sounded like they too were swatted away like some pesky fly.

On to Tuesday and Mansfield come to town. Remember them? I really enjoyed all the Checkatrade Trophy games last season and will enjoy our defence of the Trophy we so memorably won at Wembley. Mostly I’ll enjoy it because we have absolutely nothing at stake. We could win it, that would be nice but not as nice as winning it for the first time or maybe we won’t and that won’t matter because we have something far more important to occupy ourselves with.

City are top of league two and look to stay there at least until a bigger stronger better organised team take away our crown.

From where I’m standing I can’t imagine who that may be.

City need to keep the points rolling in if promotion quest isn’t to go west.

I’ve said many times that Lincoln City are creating big match atmospheres home or away but in the position they occupy now, at the top of the league it’s more so as the lesser lights look to put one over on the leaders.

Not that you could describe Exeter City thus. They of course put the Imps out of the playoffs only to fail at Wembley and they will be sure to be more than keen that it is they and not the Imps who prevail on Saturday. A draw, I would suggest would be more than satisfactory but I don’t expect Danny and Nicky Cowley to subscribe to that view.

City will take the now well trodden path to Exeter via Bristol City and it’s still a source of pride to me that the Imps have friends in such high places prepared to lend their training facility. I wonder how long it will be before a club asks a favour of us on their way to Scunthorpe or Doncaster or Rotherham. Then we’d know we’d arrived.

Exeter have survived the loss of their manager without breaking stride and, at this early stage it looks like they, City and MK Dons will be vying for the automatic places and not Notts County despite their taking swift action to replace their manager.

I’ve got to say Harry Kewell did not strike me as the dream ticket, if that’s who it’s to be both in terms of the football his team played and the league position and, whilst he’s a big name and that seems to matter to County it’s nowhere near the coup it seemed when Notts landed Kevin Nolan but we saw how that panned out. At least Danny Cowleys name was not touted as a contender this time, I was thankful for that. Maybe people realised Lincoln to Notts was not quite the leap it might have been a while ago.

So the press conference has been held, the bags packed and City head off to prepare for yet another big game. I keep repeating this because it’s a source of wonder to me. City have been a league club for a lot longer than they haven’t but it seems the big time is where the Imps are and every week that goes by seems to confirm that, for the moment at least City are under the big lights and are staying there for the foreseeable future.

Lincoln City top dogs in the East Midlands-and everywhere else.

If I’m honest I probably regard Notts County as the definitive derby, being born in Newark. Magpies always seem to have the swagger of a big club and they are a big club but in Nottingham they’re the little brother so they like to take it out on the rest of us. Well that was then and this is now.

The bookies had Notts and City as promotion favourites and there certainly was a top of the table feel as the game kicked off at Sincil Bank yesterday. Earlier there was a sense of anticipation as Imps and Magpies alike enjoyed a pre match pint but once it was down to business it was the Imps who impressed as the early season pace setters leaving Notts County trailing in their wake. Few amongst their supporters in their worst nightmares would have anticipated Lincoln City at the top of the table and Notts County at the bottom, particularly after the spending they reputedly did in the summer.

City tore out of the blocks and calmed their nerves, if on reflection they had any, with the best goal I’ve seen in a long time courtesy of local hero Lee Frecklington and apart from a bit of a wobble after County equalised the result of the game never looked in any doubt and eventually City were cruising and looking every inch the promotion or dare I say even championship contenders as they swept Notts aside.

Tuesdays game had been something of a nervy affair particularly as Bury had given such a good account of themselves only to be disposed of in a typically obdurate City fightback but yesterday was Lincoln City in coronation mood as they bobbled like a cork to the top of the table. There are many mountains to climb of course but on this form it will take a good side to stay with them. As for Notts, City fans had a lot of fun goading manager Kevin Nolan with chants of you’re getting sacked in the morning. Personally I hope not but you have to say on yesterdays evidence the dawn, for them, looks some way off.

Magpies, typically for a team down on their luck had no luck at all and whereas Danny Cowley, who I’ve seen elsewhere described as tinkerman, personally I wouldn’t dare, had the luxury of refining his team with measured substitutions from his extensive alternatives available on the bench, Nolan was forced to rehash his through largely self inflicted injury. When you’re down the fates have a way of reminding you.

I hope Notts do recover from their tailspin, the league needs big clubs like them but our concern is Lincoln City. Talking of big clubs, City are looking the part more and more with each passing week. With an authentic big match feel to every game the board are working hard to drive ever onwards. It may be an irritant to some but with a largely full stadium City need to maximise matchday earnings, not having the luxury of a stadium that generates income every day. Gone are the days, at least for the moment of little old Lincoln taking on the football world we’re big old Lincoln and getting bigger every day. Long may that continue.

PS. Kevin Nolan was sacked in the morning.

Imps season going at a rate of Notts.

Is it Christmas already? No it’s not but it’s a game that should be on then instead of which we’ve got Port Vale, on New Years Day. Call me old fashioned but there’s something wrong there surely when we’re still in August and we’ve played Grimsby Town and about to play Notts County.

You could argue this is a good time to be playing the Magpies. Maybe it will be or maybe they will use the opportunity of a full house at Sincil Bank to announce they’re back, that’s the risk of playing a side that’s got off to such a poor start. You get the feeling that the tide will turn at some stage, particularly after all the money Notts have reputedly paid out.

Looking back at the midweek win you have to admit that Bury were more than decent, they kept their shape and stuck to the plan, at least until City got their noses in front. I have to say, after a bit of thought , it was a very good comeback and having had the benefit of seeing the goals again it was a well taken penalty. Whether it should have been a penalty is debatable and whether it should have resulted in a red card is questionable too. That wasn’t the only howler was it Mr Linesman?

The replay confirmed the quality of City’s winner courtesy of a Frecklington finish. I’m slightly fearful of Notts County but when a team plays, albeit in patches, so well as City have been going and scores as freely as the Imps have been then whilst I’m a little apprehensive my gut feeling is County will have to wait a little longer to turn that corner.