On Track: Morecambe 0-2 Imps

The second half started much the same as the first, with a confident looking City side largely on top. It’s not that Morecambe were poor, they just don’t have that extra quality that a budget like ours brings. Sure, they fought hard but when they had the ball at their feet the choices weren’t right, the threat wasn’t quite there. When we got possession we looked lively, dangerous even and that comes from loaning players like Danny Rowe and Mark O’Hara, instead of bringing in players like former Boston man Zac Mills.

It took Bruno ten minutes of the first half to settle the nerves, but his second dose was doled out slightly later in the second half, albeit by two minutes. Just when thoughts of ‘we need a second here’ entered my head, the Portuguese magician conjured up a second moment of magic for us to enjoy.

It wasn’t one of those gasping moments, not a goal out of the top draw, but it certainly came from the box marked ‘typical Lincoln goal’. It came from John Akinde’s persistence and from Bruno Andrade’s foot. He’s bagged six in four now, a couple of which have been laid on by Big John. 

I remember when I was thirteen (this is going somewhere). I was a striker for Wragby Juniors and my Dad had asked a local guy, John Skepper, to take me down the pitch and give me some striker training. John told me that a striker’s job was not to score goals, but to lay them on for the midfielders. I thought Skep must just not like me and took his advice with a pinch of salt, but only now 27 years later can I see his point. Without John Akinde, we don’t bag the second yesterday.

After the goal we managed the game superbly and I know that’s not what everyone wants to hear. At 2-0 there’s a thought we should go for three or four and if the chances came we would, but we play a different brand of football with the cushion. We retain possession across the back four more, we make them come out a bit further and if we can, we pick off the rotting carcass of the opposition. Last weekend, that rotting carcass had a dagger in its boot and we ended up drawing, but there were no hidden surprised with Morecambe.

The changes unsettled the game a little, Aaron Collins looked lively for them, we brought on Matt Rhead to do exactly what he does. He began to hold the balls up in the corner, our pacey players looked to get closer to him. It became about protecting the win. If anyone is going to criticise the approach, which they will, they’ll say we could have bagged more. 

Had it not be for Matt Gilks, the clean sheet might not have been in the bag, but with ten minutes to go he produced the sort of stop you expect a League One keeper to produce. It sent out a clear message to me, that this wasn’t to be another Stevenage. We went on to simply see out the game, little in the way of chances coming after Bruno’s goal, but little in the way of genuine scares either.

There weren’t many player who could be criticised yesterday, if any. Andrade had to be Man of the Match, his goals alone earned that, but O’Hara was excellent too. he reminded me of what Lee Frecklington was for us before he moved on in 2007/08; probing and energetic. O’Hara also has a combative edge and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him start every game between now and May. Danny Rowe was excellent, John Akinde did everything asked of him and at the back, Bozzy dropped effortlessly back alongside Jason Shackell.

The win wasn’t even tinged with sadness that Bury came from behind and beat Oldham. If we want to win the title I’m sure we want to win it on our merit, not the errors of others. The 2005/06 season is till the year we got into the play-offs because Peterborough were so bad, 2018/19 has to be the year we go up because we’re good. Bury will push us all the way and it seems as though MK Dons and Mansfield are pretty set on doing the same.

We’ve led League Two for 905 of the season. we’re still out in front, two points clear and have a game in hand which will be played this Tuesday. After that it is a straight race, a twelve game sprint to League One. There’s a title on offer, there’s promotion as a second and third prize and, for the first time ever in the basement division, there’s the booby prize of a play-off spot.

Right now, in the warm light of Sunday morning, I’m enjoying it. By tomorrow the fear will grip me once more and I’ll be looking at Exeter with trepidation and worry but, if I have a couple of doses of ‘Andrade’ during the game, my nerves will be settled and hopefully I can focus a little more clearly on the end game.

Maybe, just maybe, we all can. Here’s to one defeat in eighteen matches, here’s to two points per game between now and May and finally, here’s to that incredible little Portuguese winger with the Midas touch.