Second Half – Our Own Worst Enemy
Remember Crewe away, when we’d been poor, came out full of hope in the second half and capitulated? Yep, that. Again.
The one thing this Lincoln City team do not need is to go a goal down, and within moments of the restart, we gave the home side their goal, and the balance of power shifted. The penalty was, on reflection, so naive, a striker’s tackle in the area and a needless one at that. As I said, I felt Liam Cullen had a decent game, but he won’t want to remember the two minutes that perhaps define his spell at City. Their boy was going nowhere, he was heading out of the area without the ball, but Cullen tried to hook it away, kicked the player and gave Trevor Kettle no choice. Kettle, a notorious referee in the past, had a good game, and if there’s a foul in the area, which there was, he’s going to give it. I’ve seen words like ‘brainless’, and whilst it was naive, Cullen just doesn’t see the player as he tries to hook it away. It’s not brainless, it’s just (as per usual) frustratingly avoidable.
Despite Jordan Wright guessing the right way, George Hirst’s penalty went under his body for 1-0.
1-0 away in a loud ground filled with partisan supporters is usually the end of things for the Imps, but almost immediately Liam Cullen had a great chance to make amends. A quick Imps break saw Lewis Fiorini play the perfect pass through to the striker, but his effort was well-saved by Bazunu. He didn’t do too much wrong with the effort and one of my arguments is around what happened next; the ball falls outside the area, maybe 20-yards from goal, and it’s Portsmouth who react quickest. There’s no real fault there, but it was one of those ‘FFS’ moments when you realise nothing is going your way.
Danny Cowley said after the game he felt his team controlled the 15 minutes or so after the break, but three shots, one on target (other than the penalty), to out 2/1 suggests it was still fairly even in terms of efforts, but Pompey did look more assured. Just like Wigan last weekend, it felt like a game we were still in, until 68 minutes when another needless foul brought their second. I can understand why Jackson thinks he has to foul; their player is about to deliver what seems like a defence-splitting pass, but it’s not that at all. As he plays the pass, we cut it out, but Jackson has already committed and the free-kick is given. If anything, it is a worse foul to give away than the penalty, although it is far less likely to go in. Still, it did, Michael Jacobs curling a sensational effort into the net for 2-0. Remember when we used to score free-kicks?
At 2-0 down I thought we were done for, but in a change to the scheduled broadcast, we pulled it back. I might be wrong, but I’m sure we haven’t clawed back a two-goal deficit at all this season, and yet immediately we got back into the game. Ted Bishop, looking quality in his favoured position, picked up a pass from (checks notes, but doesn’t need to) BNC, jinxed his way around the defender and slotted home with a cool finish. It was very Jorge Grant-like, and I can’t help but think a Ted Bishop playing ‘8’ all season is a contender for Player of the Year, rather than the Ted Bishop we’ve had this season who has played in 12 different positions according to Wyscout (RB, CDM, LCDM, RCDM, LCM, RCM, LAM, RAM, CAM, RW, LW, CF).
That sparked a real fight from City, and before long Ben House netted his first goal in Imps colours. A cross from the left was nodded down by Cullen, and House stabbed home in front of Imps fans. It was great to see two goals from open play, two decent goals from good attacking intent, and for a fleeting moment, you wondered if maybe, just maybe, City might go on and win the game. House’s goal might just be a hint at what’s to come; elsewhere Charley Kendall was scoring his 400th goal (or something) of the season for Eastbourne, and those two very much represent the future. There’s lots of talk about this squad not being good enough, but when you scratch away, there’s quality potential here, without a doubt. Sure, the recruitment hasn’t been a massive success this season, but players do evolve and mature and whose to say someone like Jamie Robson won’t be a big star last year, developing as Tayo Edun did?
Six minutes after the goal, we should have got a third. After a short corner (groan) led to a delivery from the left, from the solid figure of Jamie Robson (yay), Liam Cullen nodded against the bar, only for Conor McGrandles to scoop the rebound over the top. Sadly, by that point, we’d already conceded another goal of our own making. Sean Raggett picked up the ball and ran ten yards, unchecked, to the edge of the area, before striking at goal. Jordan Wright, who has been dependable in his stint in the sticks, couldn’t hold the ball and Ronan Curtis was on hand to finish with ease. There wasn’t a yellow shirt in sight as he calmly collected and finished, a frustrating goal to concede, much like the other two. Once again, we’ve cocked and loaded the gun, only to shoot ourselves in the foot.
That’s that, really. What else can you say? City had 24 shots on goal (the most in a single game all season ) and six on target (the most since beating Sheff Weds). Our xG was 3, more than the game in which we battered Doncaster without a goal, and the most since we won at Plymouth. The figures paint the picture of a good Lincoln performance, and anyone without anti-Appleton glasses will have to admit the same. Still, the outcome was the same as when we went to Shrewsbury and had five shots, nothing on target; we lost. That’s what the hardcore haters will say, and there’s no real argument to it. Should we have lost? No, a draw would have been a fair result, over the balance of the game.
Still, the relegation battle rumbles on, into Easter Monday with Cheltenham (remember the last time that happened?), and remember, we haven’t won any of our last three home league games on Easter Monday. Let’s hope that in 72 hours, we’re able to raise a glass to a fourth season in the third tier, and hopefully, progress on what has been a frustrating season, summed up almost perfectly in a single game yesterday.
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