We Can Score Goals!: Accrington Stanley 0-3 Imps

February 5, 2023 Gary Accrington, League One, Lincoln City, Matches, Reports 0

Shall we talk goals? We haven’t had much occasion to talk about goals of late, and on 24 minutes, we got one to talk about.

It came after a pretty dominant 24 minutes from the Imps. The attacking players were firing; it seemed as if we’d registered as many shots at goal in that time as I think we managed in 180 minutes previous (we hadn’t, by the way), and the feeling had completely changed. This was the Lincoln we were promised when Mark Kennedy came in. Sure, it was only Accrington, but we’re a team with the second-best record in the division against top half sides, and (before this game) the worst record against teams in the bottom half. So, when you say ‘it was only Accrington’, it’s actually stating how big it is that we turned in a strong display.

House’s goal showed what was good about him and Bishop. Part of our creative problem has been the midfield, we haven’t played killer balls into feet through the middle. Ted played a killer ball, into feet, through the middle. Ben House, a clever and tricky player with good feet, shifted the ball and fired it home for 1-0. it all looked so easy – we have we struggled to do that recently with the players we have? Could it be Ted felt confident to stride forward knowing a certain prince who was promised was going to be in position if it broke down? Maybe. Maybe not.

There was only one goal in the first half, but we could have had a couple. We had two great chances from free-kicks on the edge of the area and wasted both. I saw some critics of Shodipo online, which surprised me as I thought he’s grown nicely into the game. Ben House was utterly exceptional, I’ve already waxed lyrical about Erhahon, and at the back, we were never really in danger. Montsma looked as slick in possession as he did before his injury a year ago, and it was great to get to half time without an injury, a red card, conceding a silly goal and still in control of the game. It felt, even at that stage, like we were just waiting to shoot ourselves in the foot with a tackle, or a mad decision. Not that Sam Purkiss had a mad decision in him – he had a strong game, perhaps could have given them a penalty if he’d been so inclined, but ultimately got most of the calls spot on. Kudos where it is due.

What we needed was a second, something to kill the game off, and when it came, it proved my initial thoughts on the team selection wrong. Sean Roughan, who many think is getting better every game, will always remember his first goal. It came after decent work across the front of goal, with poole’s effort spooning up into the air. Roughan produced a quite unusual finish, something that seemed to defy physics at first watch. It was great technique, and it put us firmly in the driving seat.

Within minutes it was game, set and match. I’d said Sam Purkiss might have a red card in him, and he did. It came straight from kick-off, an Accrington side reeling from conceding the second immediately folded like a cheap tablecloth. It wasn’t dissimilar from Adam Jackson’s red against Ipswich, a last-man situation where Accrington might have claimed they had a man covering (and they did to be fair). Still, the referee drew the red, which meant it was outside of the area. There’s a double jeopardy rule where if you commit such a foul in the area, and it’s a penalty, the referee will usually issue just a booking, so as not to see it punished harshly twice. However, as it was outside the area, he deemed it a red card.

I remember when Jackson got sent off thinking, ‘if they score from this, it blows the double jeopardy rule out of the water’. Ipswich didn’t, and given our free kicks in the first half, I didn’t think we would either. Jack Diamond got an assists with a little roll of the ball and Ted got a goal to add to his assist. He might have subconsciously known I’d been harsh (in private) about him before the game because he capped off a fine display with a super finish killed off the game with 35 minutes to go. 3-0 City, a man to the good and never looking likely to concede. Happy days.

After that we just managed the game. We made changes to give certain players a rest before out-of-form Bristol Rovers come to the Bank next weekend. Lasse got a run out, as did Charles Vernam. Both are players I suspect we’ll only see in short bursts from the bench in the future. Luke Plange got his debut, whilst Shodipo (who I felt grew into the game really well) and Ted got their well-earned rest. The remaining half hour was an exhibition, a game we knew we’d never lose, but also one we weren’t willing to risk injury for.

In the final minutes there was a rather challenging postscript to the main story. Doug Tharme and Lewis Montsma clashed and both went down sickeningly. Lewis did get up, but Tharme was taken to hospital, having suffered a hard blow to the head. Mark Kennedy suggested in his post-match interview that Tharme, a Blackpool defender on loan at Accrington, is a player we’re aware of as well, and wished him all the best.

That was that. I can’t go on and on about how great we were – it’s one game, and I always say how it’s a 46-game season etc when we’re bad, so to do the opposite when we’re good would be hypocritical. However, I am also a Lincoln City fan, and the objective analysis and debate often has to make way for unbridled joy. We haven’t had that joy, the joy of a win in the league, for 77 days. The last time we had xG of a similar number (2.93) was Bristol Rovers, and even then, winning 6-3; we had fewer shots and fewer on target. I don’t care whether it’s hyperbole, excitement or whatever; I’m going to praise that because we’re all quick to criticise when it’s bad, and it has been bad of late.

Or has it? I suppose it depends on where you sit. I’ve been through bad periods with Lincoln before, as we all have, and they usually don’t include one defeat in seven matches (if you count the Accrington FLT game as a draw until penalties). It’s all about those fine margins, that thin line between pleasure and pain, success and failure. The brilliant thing about yesterday is for the first time in quite a few weeks, I can see the potential to ensure we’re on the right side of that line going forward, and it feels good.

Now we have to do it again this coming Saturday, and those dark January days (of one defeat and two clean sheets) will seem a long way away indeed.

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