If City had a decent first half, they utterly blitzed the home side at the start of the second. Danny Mandroiu clearly had a fill of half-time oranges as he came out with all the energy of a fox chasing rabbits. He looked a constant menace for a short period, as Lasse had down the right flank in the first period. It was the latter who added our second, just three minutes after the restart, popping up at the right point to get himself off the mark. That really was game, set, and match, just as Bolton’s second was on Saturday. Lasse finished last season amongst the goals, and it’s a positive sign he’s chipping in already this early on. What price on him to get up to seven or eight for the campaign?
Did 2-0 flatter City? No, but 3-0 may have done so at that stage. However, for a moment, we did threaten to do to County what Sutton did on Saturday. Indeed, it should have then been 3-0 straight after when Mandroiu drew a save from the keeper and again when Slocombe got a stroke of unbelievable luck. Mandroiu, running on rocket fuel, beat the keeper, only to see it bounce off the inside of the post and roll back into the keeper’s grateful arms. For just a few moments, Mandroiu looked like the kid at school who has a scholarship with a professional club, wears their training gear and nice boots, when everyone else on the field is playing in blazers and school shoes.
Any notion of the home side coming back into the game finished ten minutes after half time, when Baldwin once again fouled Walker, a pull back this time, and picked up a silly second booking. He’s the second County player to be dismissed in as many games, and with him went any slim chance they had of progressing to the next round. Eleven men might have nicked one back, maybe, but ten? Not a chance.
Sorensen forced another save from Slocombe before the glut of substitutions began to disrupt the flow of the game. Ben House came on for Tyler Walker before we swapped Ethans in the middle of the park. Dylan Duffy, a player I thought might start, came on for Hackett, and whilst the changes got minutes into those legs, it did seem to stem the flow of the game. The Imps dominated the 20 after half time, but certainly went back into a lower gear for the final stages.
That’s not to say we stopped pressing, and there was no doubt the eagerness to keep a clean sheet motivated the back five. Jensen got his first for the team, but once Jodi Jones came on, Notts County did at least have a minor threat. Dan Crowley, a player who always promises a lot but never delivers, didn’t impress before he went off, whilst Adebayo occasionally caught the eye. However, the Imps never really looked like conceding a goal, and you can’t help but feel their huge points haul and play-off exploits will feel a long way in the past after the short, sharp introduction back to the ranks of the Football League. The crowd, just over 6,000, was a bit disappointing also – you’d have imagined they might turn out in force for their return to the Football League and it’s associated competitions. Clearly not.
More changes followed, with Jay Benn and Oisin Gallagher coming on for Lasse and Ali Smith, another minor disruption. Benn made a couple of decent runs, but in truth, the game finished as a contest on the hour mark. Notts County certainly weren’t going to throw caution to the wind after their opening-day defeat – they need fit players. The Imps were happy to progress but also to use the last 30 minutes working towards experience for younger players, and fitness for some others rather than pressing hard for more goals. That’s genuinely how it felt, 2-0, the game in the bag, don’t get injured, and keep a clean sheet. I can live with that.
There were plenty of positives tonight, with the travelling fanbase right up there. On the field, we pressed when needed, won the ball high up the field, and proved to be a constant menace, if not an unrelenting force. We defended the box well, we broke when we could, and we contained the opposition. It doesn’t matter if it’s Bolton, Notts County, or Wycombe – that’s always got to be the gameplan.
The head coach was happy with how we played, and rightly so. “Thought we were outstanding tonight, really pleased,” Mark Kennedy said. “I think their keepers made seven good saves, we’ve hit the woodwork, and I think we could have won four or five tonight.”
That is that. Round one is completed, we’re into the hat once again, and aside from the FA Cup, Mark Kennedy certainly enjoyed his cup runs last season. Winning games gives you confidence, and whilst we lacked wins around the Bristol City and Southampton matches, we did look more solid for the experiences. Will that be the case again? Who knows.
We won’t learn a lot from tonight, but it is still a nice springboard for the season. After winning in the first round last season, we went on a run of just two defeats in nine. There’s a lot to be said for confidence, and this squad has that. Sure, it’s still a little lightweight, but in terms of a one-off game, the team couldn’t do anymore. We created chances, scored goals, kept a clean sheet, and sent the supporters home happy. I
One thing is for sure – 11 men went to mow a Meadow, and a Meadow they did mow. Onto Saturday.