With elimination from the FA Cup at Wimbledon, we’re in the unusual position of having a ten-day break between matches. Furthermore, with our next match against Accrington in the Checkatrade Trophy, it is likely one or two of our key players will not be in action for 14 days in total.
Some will say this is a great situation, a chance to get our players refreshed and ready for the busy Christmas period. After winning 3-1 at Port Vale, others might think we could do with a couple more matches in close proximity to capitalise on the forward momentum a big win brings.
Had we been beaten by Port Vale, a result that ultimately never looked likely after the game kicked off, we would have been praising the opportunity to get the players together. However, a ten-day break after a run of poor results would not have been a positive situation to find ourselves in. Imagine, you’re in a run of bad form and all you have to focus on is the negatives, how are you going to put it right. The whole mindset of the players would be on arresting a slide. After a fortnight of that it might be hard to focus yourselves as a team doing well, even if you were to win the first game.
Psychology is a fascinating subject, Danny and Nicky clearly use much of the field in their own approach to the games. Keeping players in the right frame of mind is crucial and I expect that will be far easier with a win under their belts. Now they can go away and analyse the things they did right as well as the points they need to be developing. Any ‘bad medicine’ will be swallowed easier with a 3-1 win to study in the video room.
Doubtless the time off is good for players carrying knocks too, Michael Bostwick came back on Saturday and was immense, but any lingering doubts about how quickly he recovered can be put to bed with a break in matches. Similarly Harry Anderson, a player who has suffered with the odd injury this season, can get back to his fully refreshed self. I wondered if he was still carrying a bit of a knock against Coventry. Danny often won’t tell us that players are carrying knocks and strains, but you can imagine they will be. We didn’t hear about Sam and Farms injuries until after we’d won the title, why would he divulge it if Harry was carrying something? Sharing that sort of information gives your opponent the means to target a perceived weakness doesn’t it?
You might remember last season, if you try. Think back to the Oldham game, City win a fantastic match 3-2 in front of a packed Sincil Bank. Momentum as with us, we were on an unbeaten run and looking forward to visiting minnows Shaw Lane in the FA Trophy. Then, fate intervened. Shaw Lane were expelled but not before deliberations that stole a Saturday match away from us. After December 5th, our next fixture didn’t come until December 17th, 12 days later. Did that break damage our momentum? Did the wheels come off, did we lose our bottle? No, we won a fine match 2-1 against Tranmere to put us top of the pile on Christmas Day.
The old adage ‘now we’re out of the cup we can concentrate on the league’ is often bandied around by teams who secretly wish they were still in the cup. If we were offered our second round place instead of a free Saturday I absolutely guarantee we would take it, but maybe our threadbare squad need this little mid-season break. We’ve had Nathan in and out of the side and Sam Habergham (pictured top) is only just back to full fitness too. After not playing for 12 days we’ll play six times in 25 once the festive period is upon us. Aside from two against Accrington, one in the league and one in the cup, we also have Newport, Stevenage, Yeovil and Forest Green. They’re all tough games, but they’re all winnable games and if our player are refreshed, rehabilitated and ready to go, we might just be able to steal a march on our rivals before the expected influx of talent in January.
The only player who may be lamenting the break is Matt Green. Strikers like to go o runs and his goal against Port Vale is a great start for him, but he’ll want to be amongst the goals in the next couple of games as well. He’s a good professional so it shouldn’t be too much of an issue, but possibly he, more than others, would like to be back on the pitch this weekend.
I keep saying it but for those who have short memories, I’ll say it again; if we’re in this position come January 1st, we’ll be in the mix at the end of the season. I know Danny will want to manage expectation, even if we do sign a few players he’ll talk about them needing to gel, needing time to settle in and all that guff. It’s designed to take the pressure off them and allow them the chance to play free of the burden of expectation. However, I bet you right now that if we’re two points outside the top seven come New Year’s Day, Danny will believe we’ll be at least two points inside it come the start of May. Did you notice he let a little thing slip, perhaps intentionally, in his press conference before Port Vale. He spoke about the play-offs and that being the ultimate aim. His public mask may have slipped a little, it may have been a cleverly designed sentence dropped in to reassure fans of our ultimate intentions, but I felt he revealed a belief in our ability to hit the top seven in January. I believe it, especially if the players we bring in are better than we have already.
If that is to happen, if we are going to be in the mix at the end of the season, then a nice little 12 day break from match action is just what the doctor ordered. Forget momentum, forget the love of plying games and all of that, our players will take a well-earned rest knowing that come December 5th they’re back on the Wembley trail. Danny and Nicky will know this club has never been to Wembley and if they are going to leave a legacy that surpasses all before them, they’ll need to tick that box before they’re done. With 12 days to prepare, don’t bet against us progressing in the controversial trophy either.
Thanks to Bubs and to Lincoln City for the pictures
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