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.

Resilient City draw record attendance.

 

Not long ago one of our resident panel of experts suggested the steam had gone out of the Imps fans enthusiasm and gates were on the way down. That was before the Sheffield Wednesday ten thousand plus gate and today the record, for the all seater stadium, gate of over 10300 for the visit of Sunderland.

Even then someone suggested the gate was exaggerated although I don’t know why City would do that given that, presumably VAT would be calculated on the amount of tickets actually sold. Why would you deliberately skew the figures and pay more tax?

You wouldn’t is the answer and it’s the fans who should be congratulated for sticking by the side through this thinnest of seasons and of course if City can lay on the sort of entertainment seen today that will be reflected in next seasons sales of season tickets.

Many moons ago the Imps faithful bemoaned the fact that the two Sheffield clubs were given the Sincil Bank terrace in it’s entirety when they visited. Fans complained these areas were theirs but the club reasoned if they could fill those terraces then they were going to be allowed to. These days that’s not a problem as the home support is holding up very nicely thank you but it’s interesting to see that the temporary stand in the corner by the Selenity stand was used today. It remains to be seen how many more away fans will fill the Stacey West Stand once it is extended and of course that may well push the attendance record even higher.

I would not want to suggest City were dominant, for those one or two reading this that weren’t there, the Imps were at full stetch to stem the Mackems flow and it took a brilliant save from Jordan Wright to keep the Imps in the game. In the Selenity more than a few of us old codgers dragged ourselves to our feet to applaud that but it was another day when the team to a man performed well. I must just mention Morgan Whittaker who has been taking a bit of flack. Today though he was dishing out the punishment to Sunderland and whilst in all honesty City never really looked likely to take all three points, well apart from that effort also at the end of the game in the end they were good value for their point.

Michael Appleton will no doubt be relieved at another clean sheet, we all were and as we approach the end of the season whilst we’re not out of the woods yet City are showing themselves as tough nuts to crack although it’s a mystery as to why the deadwood at the bottom of the table can seem to do so when really quite decent teams like Sunderland, and they were a quality outfit, could not.

Oh well, ours not to reason why and all that. Sunderland will be mystified as to why they only got one point today. Me too if I’m honest but does that bother me? No it doesn’t.

 

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.

 

Another home defeat. Cheers!

 

I seem to be at that stage of life where quite a lot of things in my day annoy me. My family and friends will probably advise you they had realised this rather sooner than I have.

The lady I sit next to said something yesterday that certainly reflected how I feel at the football. She said she was fed up of queueing to get out of the stadium being regaled with the delighted cheers of the away fans who, in many cases after months of struggle following their team, came to Lincoln to be gifted three lovely points that their team barely had to work for, there you are, you don’t deserve it, but there’s the points, have them on us.

Once again, a very modest team, one that had sacked their manager, the likeable football genius, according to him, Steve Evans, had left a club teetering on the brink of relegation but, help was at hand in the form of a benevolent Lincoln City who gave them a bit of relief from their troubles and their fans, starved of success, getting some air in their lungs singing some songs they thought they wouldn’t be singing again this season. Happy to help. Safe journey.

I’m starting to get in my stride now. We seem to employ a man whose sole responsibility is to chat to the fourth official. In my seat I have an unrivalled view of this. Here he comes, he’s sent back to the dugout. Undaunted, two minutes later he’s back again. I know other teams do this, not as much admittedly but they do. Usually, but not yesterday he wears an Imps bobble hat. Again, nothing wrong with that but he looks like a fan and I think, I could do that, for free. Chatting to the spare referee, how difficult would that be?

You’ll notice I’m doing anything but talk about the football. One more annoying thing though. Alan Long, announcer, we love you but for goodness sake, welcome the away fans by all means but please don’t encourage them to start cheering, it’s us home fans you’re supposed to be geeing up. Oh, and we know you’ve done your research but the away fans don’t need to know how far they’ve travelled, they’ve done it and we’re not bothered. Rant nearly over.

Yesterday was a new experience for us. I’m not going to jump on the Appleton out bandwagon, it’s getting a bit crowded anyway but often I can see how difficult it is to break down a team whose sole aim is not to be beaten. Time after time teams have come to Lincoln after getting a pasting elsewhere and City have looked pretty good, to be fair. Take Doncaster. Incidentally, they were very loud, well done you. Anyway, they looked as if they wouldn’t score if they’d played till Christmas then they were gifted a penalty and, as we know, you score, we lose. Wycombe was a bit different, although pegged back when we could have won it was a good performance but again, one point when it could have been three and here we are, no points and definitely not a good performance.

Michael Appleton, manager, BBC Radio Lincolnshire, what happened there? What do you want me to say? He really did say that, what do you want me to say? We really don’t help ourselves sometimes.

Bit of rough and tumble? Don’t mind if I do.

 

Strangely enough I probably enjoyed the Wycombe game a bit more than the win against Morecambe. Obviously the three points were better than one but for some reason, probably the fact that I wasn’t expecting anything from the game, I was more relaxed about the outcome, particularly as we’d picked up three points last time out.

For a start, there wasn’t so much of an insistence of playing out from the back. That’s not a criticism of that tactic, about which more later. In the days when City used to play like Wycombe, managers used to say things like, they’re good at what they do. Call it a backhanded compliment, I call it not a compliment at all, it was a signal that it was not the way opposition managers would have their teams play. I didn’t believe a word of it then and I don’t believe a word of it now, Wycombe are up at the right end of the league and that’s the end of it as far as I’m concerned.

What I would say though is you play that way if you haven’t got an awful lot of talent at your disposal, well that’s how it was when we played a more direct game. We play the way we do now because that’s the way our manager wants it and basically if we didn’t the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal wouldn’t loan us their young talent and we need that to balance the books skills wise.

Talking of young players, I sincerely hope young Norton-Cuffy’s parents were watching on Saturday as their lad grabbed the opportunity presented to him with both hands. Once he embarked on that mazy run the roar that greeted Norton-Cuffy’s every touch was tremendous and well deserved.

In fact several players seem to be emerging from the doldrums they had drifted into, not all, but many, and, certainly on Saturday there didn’t seem to be the nerves, either from the crowd or the players when Wycombe equalised. Maybe it was the fact that nothing was expected from the game but I do hope, having emerged from this difficult fixture City don’t throw it all away by losing the third of three home games this coming Tuesday.

Assuming, hoping the Imps emerge victorious from the Doncaster clash then the home hoodoo may be said to be over. I hope I don’t regret saying that.

The madness of crowds.

 

Going home in the car I was almost on my drive by the time Michael Appleton was interviewed on the radio. It was the usual spiel, I thought we were excellent in the first half, true. I silently mused, please praise the crowd because, for me, not for the first time but probably the first time this season the LNER faithful were instrumental in getting the team over the line with all three points. He eventually did acknowledge the fans not before commenting on the assembled faithful’s nerves after, with a certain inevitability Morecambe pulled a goal back. You bet we were anxious Michael, we’ve seen it all before.

That set back, as is depressingly familiar, rocked the team back on its heels. I was thinking, poor as they were, if Morecambe get an equaliser, they’ll win it. The reason for that is, that’s what keeps happening, Step forward, us. The Imps weathered the storm and kept it at 2.1. The crowd sensed resolve was slipping, something was needed from us and gradually, metaphorically speaking people began to rush to plug the gaps pushing, heaving the team over the line. Led and cajoled by the ever excellent 617 the cry rang out, red and white army, red and white army. The silence signs in the library were covered over, come on, more is needed, red and white army, you can clap along but we need a massive effort, so those who wouldn’t normally utter a word did join in, red and white army, red and white army on and on it went until finally, finally the referees whistle went. Even then the chant still rang out, a home win. We’d done it.

Any notion that the steam had gone out of the City support was answered last night. A very healthy, I thought crowd of 7500 turned up to see what was the least attractive  of the triple header to come. I’m not that sure I enjoyed it all that much as the game took on a familiar pattern. City imperious in the first half. Two goals, I thought at the time if we could just get one more maybe the nerves will subside but it didn’t come. A free kick was awarded in a dangerous place. Free kick. Really? Morecambe got one back. It was a great strike admittedly. Here we go again backs against the wall. You’d think we’d cope better, we're very experienced at this sort of thing. Talk about deflated, the body language seemed to say, go on then, win it, that’s what usually happens but somehow, I like to think I know why, the inevitable didn’t come about. City survived, we survived. We pushed and shoved and did the only thing we could and it worked.

Rob Bradley tweeted afterwards , give the crowd Man of the Match and he was right, well he wasn’t, I’d have given it to Conor McGrandles. Can a crowd win a game for a team? No of course not. Did a last nights crowd win the came for City? I’d like to think so.