Striker – Matt Rhead
It would have been utterly remiss of me to name anyone other than Matt Rhead as one of the two strikers in a team of the decade.
The Big Man set a standard when he arrived from Mansfield under Chris Moyses and he went on to become a real legend of the club. I know one or two fans will be angry at talking about him in that light, but it is the truth. He survived the Cowley’s arriving, despite being close to departure. He then made it in the Football League when many wrote him off. Twice.
He got three winners medals during his time with us, something only Harry Anderson also managed. He scored goals, some of them truly spectacular, and he made a few as well.
He excelled in the 2016/17 season. Even before we’d seen what the league looked like from the top spot, and well before we’d been on series link on BT Sports, there was the matter of a game away at Torquay. It was our first TV appearance, and we didn’t play brilliantly. The game was end to end, but we weren’t quite on method. One man was though, and that man was Matt Rhead. His brace included a second-minute penalty and a superb last-minute winner despite his heavily bandaged head. His attitude and desire that evening gave us an indication of what might be to come from the whole team, but he led from the front with a typically ‘Rheady’ display.
Then there was the ‘top of the table’ clash with Dagenham deep into the business end of the season. I billed it as a tale of two forwards, Oliver Hawkins and Matt Rhead. He was once again at his unplayable best, winning everything in the air and putting himself about superbly. Hawkins disappeared after twenty minutes, but our own robust centre forward was going nowhere. It was his hooked shot that Elliot Whitehouse eventually poked over the line to put City 1-0 up, and it was Rhead himself that sealed the victory. A corner was met with a header of such ferocity that it wouldn’t have mattered if the keeper had got near it, it would have taken him into the net with it. A pumped up Rheady then flexed his muscles in front of the Daggers fans that had taunted him about his size in defiance, a victory celebration born out of pure passion. This was a crucial game for Lincoln City, and once again our biggest player stood up to be counted.
Although I’m not in the ‘bring Rheady back’ brigade, I was gutted when he left and felt he’d add a dimension to our play this season that we perhaps needed, a late ‘long ball’ outlet when hanging on to games, or even chasing them.
One player that is always massively over looked is Adrian Pătulea he only scored about 17 goals I think 12 in the league but the manager at the time Peter Jackson normally played him as a sub for 20-30 minutes.
Adrian scored more goals per minute on the pitch than any other player of all time for Lincoln.
But he may not be classed as this decade as it was 2009.
Obviously you would have to include Yeo but not sure if the two would be suited to play together in this formation.
He didn’t play last decade though mate