One Month On

Tomorrow marks the one-month anniversary of our return to the Football League, and whilst August 5th was a day filled with pride at finally being back, thirty-one days later our National League complex has gone. We’re fully entangled in the rough and tumble world of the Football League, with its Mickey Mouse cup competitions, it’s much bigger crowds and of course it rise in quality.

The overriding feeling for me is one of contentment. I think we’ve acquitted ourselves well as a Football League club, considering we’ve hosted two of last year’s play-off teams and visited two others from the top ten. To come away from the fixtures we’ve had with just one league defeat is very impressive. The quality may well have taken some by surprise, but given how results have gone, it hasn’t entirely surprised Danny Cowley.

We may have struggled to turn draws into wins, but against Wycombe I think we earned a draw rather than spurned a chance of victory, and against Morecambe we had enough chances to win all of our league games so far. I thought we were excellent against Luton, we moved the ball around well and retained possession rather than foolishly breaking forward. I like that about our play at the moment, the steady approach, often going back to move forwards. It doesn’t satisfy the ‘get into them’ brigade sat all around me, but it’s a measured and balanced approach. I like to think Danny is playing a ‘thinking man’s game’, but then what else would you expect?

Of the new faces I’ve been most impressed with Matt Green as I wrote yesterday. His movement and control is like nothing we’ve had here for many years, and the fact he’s bagged three and it’s considered a quiet month says it all. My opinion is he was the signing of the summer, a crucial element we lacked last year despite winning the league. He’s not just a predator who finds himself in the right place at the right time, he works to make his own chances and he works to make them for others as well. Once sides like Luton, Mansfield and Carlisle make way for the likes of Crawley and Yeovil, I think we’ll start to see an increase in his ‘goals for’ column. The trick is finding the perfect partner for Green, and contrary to what I’ve been reading recently, I think that is still Matt Rhead.

The big man splits opinion right down the middle, many think he’s been ‘found out’ at this level, others think he’s still a massive asset. I fall into the latter category, I think he’s a real thorn in the side of opposition defences. What he hasn’t been able to do is offer the goal threat he could at a level below; these defenders are well versed in dealing with players like him. His lack of mobility is showing too, the defenders are quicker and more alert to his danger. He does still pose a danger though, a significant one.

Whilst we are not a traditional ‘long ball’ side, we do go long on occasion, and Rheady is still winning most of his headers. I feared for him after Wycombe as they dealt with him effectively, but since then I don’t think he’s been nullified at all. Carlisle couldn’t stop him and even high-flying Luton struggled to contain him when those balls came towards him. Okay so he isn’t going to burst into the area and waltz through the defence, but we know that anyway. He’s still a big problem for sides to deal with, and if they’re doubling up on him (which most are) then they’re losing a player elsewhere. Now we have Matt Green endlessly ploughing the channels it forces teams to go much more defensive to stop our threat, and that in turn diminishes theirs.

Neal Eardley has arguably been one of the most astute bits of business we’ve done in a long time.

I’ve maybe been a bit disappointed with what has come from out wide so far this season, but it isn’t through a lack of trying. I think Nathan has looked sharp, but despite our riches in the wide areas the other flank hasn’t produced much. Harry Anderson has surprisingly been used as a sub, Josh has been injured and JMD has had a tough start to his Imps career. Mix that with the uncertainty at full back, and we’ve not been as effective from the left as the right, once we do settle down both flanks then we’ll pose another danger for opponents to consider. If sides like Luton want to come down and claim we’re one-dimensional then they’re doing us a big favour, because you know and I know we are not. Deep down, they know too.

I mention the full-backs as not being settled, but that isn’t derogatory as they’ve both been superb. Sean Long has proven a point to those who doubted him I think, he’s growing in stature with every outing. Given the issue surrounding that position and the ‘other’ man whom fans like there, Long could have been forgiven for feeling a little unloved. What he has done is turn in strong performances each week to try to help those fans get over the loss of our other popular right back. Mind you, Sean will need to be right on his toes because Neal Eardley has arguably been one of the most astute bits of business we’ve done in a long time.

What Neal brings is vast experience, something Danny has cleverly added to the youthful and vibrant squad of players. I’m not sure how a former Premier League player, arguably in his prime, has ended up at Lincoln City, but his quality is there for all to see. There was a mix up this weekend between him and Raggs, but those incidents are few and far between. When he’s on the ball he is coolness personified, he has excellent control and can go outside or inside as he seems two-footed and comfortable on either. Quite how Danny keeps all three happy when Sam is fully fit remains to be seen, but my honest feeling at present is that Sam will have to earn his spot back rather than have it presented to him.

In the centre of the park we’ve looked controlled if perhaps a little reserved, but as the games go on I imagine that is the game plan. I initially felt Danny was trying to push Michael Bostwick in anywhere he could after he fell into our laps in July, even if it wasn’t in the game plan. Think Tom Champion but with a far better player. As the campaign gets into full-swing I suspect I may have been wrong, it looks now as if he’s trying to use Alex Woodyard’s never-ending engine further up the park, and giving Bozzie the job of sitting in front of the defence and doing what Alex did last season. I can see why, after all Alex Woodyard is a very special footballer whom we are lucky to have, his work rate is phenomenal and he makes the unseen work look pretty. I took a bit of stick for saying I’m not convinced on Bozzie yet, but I was misinterpreted. I know what a great asset he is, but at present I think he’s only hitting 75% of his capability. The two are learning each other’s game, settling down and understanding when to go and when to hold back. Each game they look more comfortable, and Alex bagging twice against Carlisle is testament to that. They had Luke Berry all sewn up in the middle of the park this week, and that is no mean feat.

Centre halves? One is Sean Raggett, a special footballer with a big career ahead of him, and whoever sits alongside him has been competent and steady. Luke Waterfall (pictured top) is just getting back to full fitness and we haven’t seen enough of Dickie to be overly critical nor shower him with praise. The clean sheet will have been a big relief though, especially to Paul Farman who, in truth, hasn’t had a great deal to do so far. He hasn’t put a foot wrong, but if he’s called into action I’m confident we have a safe pair of hands in the sticks. I once said something like ‘if he wasn’t prone to the odd mistake he’d be a Football League keeper’. Well, here he is in the Football league and I haven’t seen a mistake, so it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. If he does slip up we’ve seen enough from Josh Vickers in 90 minutes at Rotherham to know he’ll be under immense pressure.

The step up in quality has been significant, but despite the claims of how surprising it has been, I doubt anybody at the club is surprised. I still think after three or four months we’ll see a much better indication of where we are as a unit. One defeat tells me enough, as does us having played four teams from the top half of the fledgling table, and just one from the bottom half. If you’d offered me one defeat in the first five games, as well as us being above Grimsby, Mansfield and Forest Green at this stage, I would have bitten your hand off, and if we only suffer one defeat a month in between now and May, we’ll be above those three teams in the final standings too. That will make me a happy boy.

Thanks to Lincoln City and to Graham Burrell for the match day photographs.