He had a decent game as we extended our unbeaten run with a 1-1 draw against play-off chasing Northampton, but back-to-back defeats against Cheltenham and Morecambe really hurt us. Morecambe turned us over at home on Bank Holiday Monday with future Imp Craig Stanley opening the scoring, but it was a loss away at third-from-bottom Cheltenham that really hurt.
We looked home and dry in the relegation battle though, even before third-placed Bournemouth arrived at the Bank. After the defeats to two lowly sides, this seemed to be a match we stood little chance of winning, but Davide Somma picked just the right time to turn it back on. He bagged two in the 2-1 win, his first a calm volley past Jalal, his second more emphatic. Clark Keltie (of all people) set him up for a superb volley which left the keeper no chance. Those goals came either side of Brett Pitman’s leveller, which was to no avail.
Defeats at Notts Count and Shrewsbury followed, leaving City still nervously looking over our shoulders. We were eight points clear of Grimsby with three to play, so a draw against Bury should be enough. With ten minutes to go, Somma was played through, and he did exactly what he’d done for his entire loan spell, securing the Imps’ safety in the process. A week later, he scored as City lost 3-1 at Aldershot, his first goal in an Imps defeat.
His last game for City came against Macclesfield at the Bank and ended in disappointment. He had already become the club’s leading scorer with nine, but he was denied a chance to extend that by his own head, as he was sent off for head-butting a Macclesfield defender. Not long after, he returned to Leeds.
What his short spell served to prove is that there is no such thing as a ‘proven’ scorer. Somma only bagged 12 more goals in an injury-hit career. However, at the end of the dismal 2009/10 season and ahead of the even worse 2010/11 season, the sun of Somma time really did shine on Sincil Bank.
As we were relegated in 2010/11, he scored 12 for Leeds, earning himself a call-up to the South African squad, where he played against Kenya and Egypt without scoring. However, his 2011/12 season was halted by a torn anterior cruciate ligament during pre-season training, and would be out for at least six months. He released the news on Twitter, causing then-manager Simon Grayson to suspend all player’s accounts. His long battle against injury eventually ended in 2013 when Leeds released him, and he was unable to prove his fitness in pre-season.
No way. Tony Woodcock was the best striker I’ve ever seen in a City shirt.
Disagree with Mike. I saw Woodcock play for City and he was the business. Somma had more impact for me. Reminded me of when Ainsworth joined…..you had renewed belief. ….Going to score in a minute. Somma was clinical, fast and never seemed to miss a chance. And wow could he do the spectacular. Shame we couldn’t,t sign him.