Anthony Scully was again at the heart of our response, firstly trying to jinx into the box all of his own accords but being foiled late on. Then, with seven minutes let of a frenetic first half, he started a move on the left which resulted in a great Neal Eardley cross, kept alive by Jorge Grant. The former Forest man pinged the ball back into the area and Tom Hopper showed his instinct by twisting in the area to fire home from close range. It was a poacher’s goal, a classic centre forward’s finish that demonstrated positional awareness and strong technique. The players came right up to the corner of the Bridge Mac Stand to celebrate and the relief and joy were absolutely clear. I’ve heard plenty about Shacks leaving and dressing room being divided, but I think yesterday showed that the lads are certainly together and focused on accumulating as many points as possible.
I think both defences would have been delighted to hear the half time whistle, it hadn’t been a masterclass from either, but take away their two goals and perhaps one effort and it had been relatively comfortable, certainly after the first fifteen. Both teams misplaced passes and made some basic errors, both teams looked dangerous going forward but I felt they looked a danger because were took some time to adapt, but we looked dangerous because of quality in certain areas. I’ve mentioned Grant and Scully, but Max Melbourne had a decent half too. What I’d really like to see from Max was a couple more first time crosses, he cut back onto his right twice in the first half when I suspect his delivery would have been stronger on his left. That said, I thought he did well especially given the quality Burton have on the right-hand side.
I couldn’t call the second half, such was the unpredictable nature of the encounter. I did feel there were goals in the game, but Josh Vickers had other ideas. He had such a superb second half, stopping a Joe Powell free kick on 53 minutes with a punch, then saving from a Sarkic delivery a few minutes later. There’s no denying we were riding our luck, if you call dogged determination not to concede a goal ‘luck’.
Vickers made a wonderful save with his legs in a second-half dominated by the visitors early on, Jamie Murphy the unlucky forward. Connor Coventry, growing in stature with every game, blocked a wonderful Akins effort too, throwing his body on the line like a seasoned professional. I felt the back four settled more as the game went on and it became clear that the desire and commitment needed to remain in League One is in place. I’ve seen Shrewsbury fans complaining, Bristol Rovers fans fearful and Wimbledon’s fans worried based on performances. I don’t think we’ve been playing that badly, but we’ve shot ourselves in the foot. Yesterday was perhaps the first time since the turn of the year I’ve seen that hunger and commitment across the whole playing squad, a togetherness that belies the number of changes made to the squad.
After what seemed like relentless pressure, it was us who broke the deadlock against the run of play. Neal Eardley showed exactly why he retains his first-team place with another excellent delivery for Joe Morrell to fire home, maybe via a slight touch from Anthony Scully. The dubious goals panel can debate it is they want, I really don’t care. From 1-0 down, then 2-1 down, Lincoln City had come back and gone 3-2 ahead. It’s a huge step forward in terms of our mindset, especially against a decent side for this level. I’m usually always in the Coop Stand, or the press box opposite where you can’t see the top few rows, but from pitchside in the Bridge Mac Stand I got a real sense of what our main stand looks like when it erupts. Genuinely, I got goosebumps at the noise and being able to see it properly was a real treat. Shame I couldn’t see the goal very well, but the replays told me all I needed to know; it went in.
Of course, we’ve led in games this season and not ended up winning. In fact, if you look at the games in which we’ve conceded late (Doncaster, Wimbledon, Southend and Accrington), we’ve cost ourselves between five and seven points. It wasn’t hard to see how we might end up broken-hearted after this one, especially not as Burton began to control possession and pen us right back in our own half. They didn’t create a lot that was clear-cut immediately after our goal and if anything, Joe Morrell might have got his second. However, as we entered the final 15 minutes a new player suffered from a season-long problem – shooting the team right in the foot.
Being brutally honest, we’ve been the architects of our own downfall on too many occasions this season, conceding silly free kicks and goals in matches we matched our opposition in. With ten minutes left on the clock, Joe Powell whipped a cross into the box, where Alan Sheehan stood backed up by Michael Bostwick. Bozzy wasn’t called into action though, because Sheehan inexplicably palmed the ball away for a penalty. Maybe he sensed a red shirt behind him and having never played for a team in red, forgot it was one of his own. Maybe he thought for a second he was a goalkeeper. Maybe his arm suddenly had an involuntary spasm he couldn’t control. Maybe.
It was a moment quite like no other I can ever recall, there was a sense of ‘what the fu….’ all around the ground. Everyone knew it was a penalty, there was no reason for it either. It was just so bizarre, but once the nature of the situation settled in, the deep sense of foreboding came over me. Ahead of the Accrington game, I’d remarked we never seemed to get anywhere near penalties, then Josh popped up with a save. We ultimately lost that game and I confess I didn’t see a save coming here. Lucas Akins strode up, struck the ball and Vickers dived to his right to make a super save. The cheer that went up was as loud as any goal and our players immediately mobbed the stopper. Ten minutes plus stoppages to go and we were still leading the game.
Minutes later Max Melbourne made a wonderful block which some believed was a second handball. It wasn’t. Tom Hopper, who had a quieter second half by virtue of Burton’s increased possession, found himself back and heading balls clear too. It was heart-in-mouth football, with Imps matching the yellow shirts in every area of the field. Where a Brewer popped up with the ball, one of our lads stood in front of him looking to block. When we did get a chance to get out, we put a foot through the ball to clear. No passing out in the final minutes of the game, no scope for more madness. Neal Eardley showed his experience defending a late free-kick, but Burton had run out of ideas. They’d huffed and puffed for fifteen long minutes, but the house remained standing. 3-2 City, 13 points still the gap for us with nine to play.
The calculator doesn’t say we’re safe, history doesn’t say we’re safe, but my heart does. Not just because of the points yesterday, but because of the commitment, the fight and desire those players showed. Because Tom Hopper showed us what he is about, because the midfield of Bridcutt, Coventry and Morrell asserted some control. Because Michael Bostwick….. well just because Michael Bostwick. Because all over the field, those players wanted that win and they never gave up on it. I’ve seen criticism of Sheehan, who had a decent debut. I’ve seen criticism of Neal Eardley, who was left exposed at times but delivered crosses for two of the goals. Here’s something to ponder; I think we were more assured, committed and effective yesterday than the night we beat Bolton 5-1. I felt happier at the win too, because we ground it out and made it ourselves.
It wasn’t the best performance of the season, it was a long way from the worst, but it had qualities that we’ve not always seen in the last few months. If we keep playing nice football but retain that ‘refuse to lose’ attitude that became our trademark over the last three years, then we’re going to be firmly on the right track.
Next Page – Remainder of Bubs’ excellent gallery