Aside from that, three players have got my pulse racing this season but before I move on to them, I think a special mention has to go to Harry Toffolo. He was excellent yesterday, he wasn’t tested at full back by a winger as such, but going forward he is a real handful. He’s an attacking defender and has potential to play further up the field, but his link up play with Bruno in particular was excellent. We’ve seen it already this season, but these routine games against sides who don’t want to attack us as much are his bread and butter, because his license to get forward is increased.
Tom Pett gets my praise every week and that carries on today. There’s talk of who we drop for Frecks return because the captain will get back into the side, but I can’t see it being Pett. He offers something in front of both boxes and gets better every single time I see him play. The latter point goes for Bruno too. He’s the sort of player we’ve not had since Dany N’Guessan or maybe even before him; a winger with pace, trickery and an eye for an effort. Here’s a stat you might like. Before yesterday’s game I took all of the performance data from ESPN’s website, put it into a huge spreadsheet and then worked out a few different ratios for the division, stuff like ‘shots on target per goal’ or ‘shots off target per goal’ (I do that sort of stuff with my spare time, it’s a symptom of being such an anal fan). Bruno has a better shots on target per game ratio to shots off target than any other Imp, coming in at 0.78 on target and 1.78 off. John Akinde manages 0.78 on target per game, but at the expense of 2.33 off.
Not only can he shoot, but he can create too. He’s got a bit of everything and I’m delighted he’s an Imp. Bruno Andrade will play in the Championship during his career, there’s little doubt in my mind about that. I said it about Sean Raggett and he has, I said it about Woodyard (and he will) and I’ll nail my colours to the mast and say it about Bruno too. He scared Cheltenham to death yesterday and that is a common occurrence.
Another player who impressed me yesterday was Shay McCartan. It’s easy to say that as he scored one and pressured a defender into doing the same, but he’s another who is growing into this team more every week. He’s been a great capture and we’re seeing what prompted Bradford to pluck him from Accrington a year or two ago. He dealt with provocation well too, there was an elbow off the ball he wasn’t happy about but instead of reacting, he forced one goal and scored another. One could argue that is a reaction, the very best type.
It is hard to go too much deeper with yesterday’s game because even Michael Duff will admit his side will be well away from us by the end of the season. They’re not Grimsby bad, they’re not top seven good either. He’ll keep building and they’ll pick up points but they won’t be affecting the top of the table. We will though.
I tipped us up at the beginning of the season and eight wins from ten is the sort of form sides who win divisions show. Here we are, just 10 games in and we’ve got as many points as Grimsby, Mansfield and Notts County combined. We’re packing the best goal difference, the joint best defensive record and we’re the second-highest scorers. It could be argued we’ve played five of the bottom six, albeit four away from home, but when you’ve hammered the side in third 3-0 at their place there’s no using ease of fixtures against us. Our next four games are Tranmere, Crewe, Carlisle and Cambridge, three sides in the bottom half and Carlisle one place above it. Realistic to think we might get ten points from 12?
Danny urges players not to get carried away and I’ll end with the same mantra. Never too high when we win, never too low when we lose. I said the same last week and then spent seven days waxing lyrical to everyone I could about how good we were against MK Dons. This weekend we were no worse, we probed, passed and picked until the Cheltenham rear guard fell down. We now face a Tranmere side with as few goals conceded as us and the division’s leading scorer leading the charge.
That will be another test, a more significant one to the routine win we bagged this weekend. That much, I guarantee you.
I have been doing my own anal research Gary. The product of my research (Ian and Donald Nanestad’s History of Lincoln City) is that after 10 games, this is our best start to a league campaign since 1930/1 season, Division Three (North). We lost the first game to New Brighton and then won the next 9 on the trot. Finished the league in second and were champions the year later (only one promotion place in those days!) Perhaps I’m on the spectrum?
Absolutely don’t get carried away. Who remembers stories of teams that led tables up to Christmas and then fell away to mid table or lower. I don’t want to see the Imps falling into that kind of trap and I certainly hope they don’t. As Danny says there is no divine right to win matches , only hard work, good form, team work, good tactics, low injury levels , good management and a measure of good luck does that !
Long may it last . Up the Imps!,
Please do get carried away. The players can focus. We can enjoy!
Andrade has already played in the Championship. He has played in the Premier League too!
He has, two minutes in the Championship I believe and ten in the Premier League. I can see him turning in full games every week.
I have lost count of how many times I have watched City at Cheltenham but that is the first victory I have witnessed but it was never in doubt although I began to think the referee was going to prevent us from winning. He was abysmal. He looked the part and obviously has ambitions but either he was dazzled by the low afternoon sun or forgot to put his contact lenses in. He gave numerous free kicks the wrong way, missed dives and an obvious penalty when Bruno was brought down in the box.
Living in the west country I only get to see City at all of the grounds down here so this was my first sight of the new players. McCartan stood out along with Andrade and Shackell, it was a very good team performance. Had Akinde not missed a sitter and got in the way of McCartan’s goal bound shot the score would have been a true reflection of the difference between the two sides.