I did think Accrington had two lucky escapes in the second half. The first was a blatant penalty for a foul on Matt Green, a decision even the Accrington keeper agreed with. I’m no lip reader but he seemed to mouth ‘that was a penalty’ to our fans, not in an arrogant way but as an honest admission. Before we get angry though, let’s not forget the penalty Green got at Sincil Bank in the league against them, earning their lad a red card too. That was soft and we got it, yesterday was nailed on and we didn’t.
If things even themselves out then the red card earlier in the season was cancelled out when Harry Anderson was denied a clear opportunity just outside the box towards the end. The punishment was a yellow card which I thought could have been a red. Again, you take the rough with the smooth and whilst I was mad at the time, it is just something you live with as a football fan.
We didn’t trouble with the free kick, but recently we haven’t really. I think our set pieces have been poor of late, I know we’ve made the odd one or two count but if we took a percentage I imagine it wouldn’t make good reading. Corners have been less than average, we look as though we’re running the same one every time, long to someone at the back post to nod across a la Burnley. Accrington got wise to it the second time and we rarely threatened. Nicky will be disappointed with those as I know they work incessantly on set pieces.
As for free kicks, since that little ‘wizard’ JMD left (note the tone) we’ve had no real threat. Bozzie drove his shot at the wall and another chance went begging. I haven’t see a well-hit free kick from City for a long while now.
Matt Green, who I thought had a decent game again yesterday, could have scored late on (featured image) but he just couldn’t quite get his feet around the ball. Had he slammed it home we’d be laughing now, but he didn’t and at the final whistle he looked visibly distraught. There’s no need to be Matt, you’ve been excellent this season, you’ve worked incredibly hard and in my mind, you’re the third best player we’ve seen during the campaign, behind Bozzie and Neal Eardley.
Before anyone jumps on me for being too negative, I’m well aware we have the upper hand and I’m happy we went away to the champions and made them look as ordinary as they made us look. It is odd how these patterns emerge in football, that is the third season in a row we’ve been present at the title presentation in our league, Cheltenham, us and now Accrington. This season though we weren’t watching on as envious losers, we’re still in the mix and have the upper hand. I wasn’t watching on at all, as much as I respect what John Coleman had won I had no desire to see them celebrate when they’d just denied us confirmation of a top seven finish. Maybe I’m bitter, if we’d drawn I would have stayed, but we didn’t so it would have just rubbed salt into the wounds.
We just need to keep our nerve though, I’d rather be in our shoes than the Stags. We can be proud we’re in this position, in almost any other season 74 points would be enough to earn you a top seven spot, but the top eight this season have been so good that the bar has been raised.
In fact, in the last six seasons our current points total would have us in the top seven in all but one of them. Interestingly, in four of the last six years the side finishing in seventh has been promoted to League One. As things stand, we’ll be in seventh. The only side to finish seventh with 75 points were Wimbledon two years ago, the side who replaced us in the Football League and were promoted via the play offs. Again, an omen? If you believe that sort of stuff maybe so.
Did you also know that our current points total, 74, is as many as we had in all of our previous five play off campaigns? In 2003/04 and in 2006/07 we finished on 74 points, the other three we finished on less. Again, that lays bare the size of our achievement. Even more remarkable is in 1997/98, the year we were promoted automatically, we finished with just 75 points, a total we will hope to surpass this weekend.
You see, this season is as competitive as League Two has been for a long time and our record is as good as any of our fourth-tier campaigns since the early 1980s. It is proof that, despite yesterday’s below-par showing, this is actually the best Lincoln City side possibly of the last 35 years. Even the 1981/82 and 1982/83 seasons brought 77 and 76 points, numbers we could finish on with a win next weekend. We could actually finish with our joint highest Football League points haul under the 3pts for a win system.
Still think we’ll miss out next weekend? I’m going to be honest, I still have 100% faith we’ll be there. Lincoln City don’t bottle big games, not when the chips are truly down and the season is on the line. Yeovil lost to a Mansfield side that has been in freefall, they now have a suspension too and I imagine the last thing they really want is a trip to a packed Sincil Bank, a cauldron of atmosphere and passion.
It is my desperate regret that I won’t be at the game, I’m not even sure how I’ll listen to it or see it from my Sheffield hospital bed. It looks like one of the biggest matches in our recent history will be fed back to me through social media and friends texts. Given what is at stake, that might be the least stressful way to watch it and given my record with watching the Imps on the road this season, me staying away might just be the best thing all round. There you go, a positive to be found in spinal surgery. If we win that and any subsequent away leg I can see the club revoking my season ticket as a precaution.
So, we go down to the wire. In two years under Danny and Nicky we’ve had two so-called dead rubbers and even then we were pushing for 100 points. Win, lose or draw next weekend, this has been a great season and losing 1-0 yesterday might have hurt at the time, but that will fade away by the time 3pm comes on Saturday 5th May. Our destiny is in our own hands and everything we’ve done in the last 45 games has led us to this point.
Believe.
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I see that Jordan Clark has been credited with Stanleys goal but from where i was standing yesterday, directly behind the goal, i was convinced it was an own goal from James Wilson. Anyway, our fate is in our own hands and like you Gary i have every faith in the boys delivering the goods on Saturday. Hope the Op is successful. Up The Imps
Just shows the expectations we have when we were expected to get a result against champions Accrington for the 3rd time this season. Yes the referees have been below the needed level this season as the footballing standards have leaped, particularly in the intervening conference years. I hope we are not talking about the referee after next weeks game, just the football we play. We have exceeded expectations by far this season and without the failed signing of the “goal getter” we were purportedly chasing. I doubt we need him, as to score 4 against Coventry on their own patch gives me confidence we are able to get a positive result against Yeovil now without their regular Centre back in front of 10,000 fellow imps.
Thanks Gary…so sorry you are going to miss some key final action. If anyone deserves to be there it is you.
I had us down to lose at Coventry and Accrington. To tonk Coventry and only lose by the only goal at acc is a pretty good return. Yes it is disappointing we were so flat yesterday, but we need to consider how many games we have played in such a short period of time.
Win lose or draw, next Saturday will not take away from the fact that this season has been a blast from start to finish. I have loved it. So pleased to have been part of it.
At the start of the season would we have taken the current scenario with one game to go? Well, I would most certainly be in the queue to snatch the proverbial hand off.
UTMI
All the best matey. If you take a DAB radio with you, you should be able to listen to BBC Radio Lincolnshire, as you can listen to it in the Yorkshire and Number region and East Kids region, of which Sheffield is.
Remember not to have the tea or soup and take the digestive biscuits with you!!
That should say Humber and East Mids ….bloody autocorrect.
Ball going away from the goal unfortunately Wilson had no where to go and the ball bounced off his shins into the net, dunne made several bad a mistimed tackles he should have had a yellow and a straight red, nailed on penelty not given , the imps looked as though they had left everything at Coventry in the first half. Guess Palmer was all in when he was taken off. Need a varied strategy for set pieces and more clinical attitude. Recently too many going straight the keeper. And defence took take of many of the crosses. Well saved by Ryan, think key looking for Ryan to move first so he could blast down the middle.