I said it was no surprise to see Smith taken off, but what was a shock at half time was seeing Hakeeb Adelakun coming on. This is the same Haks who was almost allowed out on loan on deadline day, only for the deal to collapse, the same Haks who was not given a squad number in August. Often, football stories are stranger than fiction, and to see him appear under Mark Kennedy once again was a huge shock. Of course, I took some stick from those around me after making my bold prediction about him not appearing again!
He came on for Smith with us going to a 3-5-2 (Wyscout disagrees, oddly). That looked to put Reeco and Adelakun up top, with Ted driving a little more from the middle. It also matched us up to them, and it worked instantaneously. Our goal, just minutes after the restart, was a thing of beauty. Alex Mitchell strode forward and played a little ball into Hackett, who did a lovely bit of skill to tee up Hamilton. I say ‘tee up’; he was 35 yards from goal, but that’s all he needed. He struck a clean shot, low and hard, which left the keeper with no chance. From barely looking like scoring, we were level.
I wondered if we might press our advantage home, and we almost did midway through the half. Hamilton, a good shout for Man of the Match, recycled a broken-down attack and put a delicious ball across the six-yard box, with Haks agonisingly close to touching the ball in. It wasn’t quite Gazza 96 vibes, but it was close. What a story that would have been – I had my headline all ready to go, ‘Haks Attack’, but it wasn’t to be. In fairness to Haks, he did well, considering it was his first senior football of any kind since February when he got 19 minutes for Gillingham at Bradford. I do wonder how much more we’ll see of him, but given his athleticism, he could be crucial. I now wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him get a start against Derby this week. One thing is for sure – our fans love an underdog because he was a pariah in his first season here, and yet I could feel supporters willing him to be the one to win it for us.
I did feel a big positive shift in the crowd after the goal. Carlisle’s fans were a credit to their club, signing loud for much of the game, and we were a little quiet in the first half. After the goal, there seemed to be a huge energy around me, and on more than one occasion, the whole stand was singing. That does not happen often at all, and I wonder if perhaps in the face of adversity, the like we have ahead of us, the fan base might galvanise. We don’t want these injuries, our progress will be hampered, but if it can help bind the supporters and foster a bit of an ‘in the trenches’ mentality, there may be a small positive to take away.
We were better in the second half, but it still felt muddled at times. Ted, who we have to nurse through games, came off, meaning we shuffled our starting right back (Lasse) into midfield and our starting left back (Burroughs) into right back. Later on, Duffy (a winger) came on to play two up top with Haks, another winger. It’s fair to say we had some square pegs in round holes, although footballers are perhaps more flexible than FIFA’s Ultimate Team mode might have you think. Given the injuries and disruptions to our squad, I felt we got back into the game well and were good value for the point.
Carlisle were by no means poor, but aside from one blocked chance in the second half, I didn’t feel like they’d go on and win the game. As the game wore on, if anyone might have snatched it, it would have been us, albeit undeservingly. A draw was certainly a fair outcome, and if the injuries we suffered before were short-term, you’d walk away content with having kept ourselves in the top ten.
They’re not short-term, and that is now a worry. I said I’d come back to the injuries in another article, but I’ll deal with them now because it’s pertinent to do so. They formed a huge part of yesterday’s outcome, and sadly, they’ll now be a major point of discussion until Christmas. What is it with us and strikers? Two years ago, we had no fit strikers for a game against Oxford, we had to play Freddie Draper up top for a couple of weeks under Michael Appleton, and last season it seemed we only ever had either Tom Hopper or Ben House fit. If you carry too many strikers, you’re loaded up in terms of wages, but if you go with too few, you’re running the risk of injuries. However, to have two injured, long-term, as we have, is just horrible luck.
I did think it was telling we didn’t bring Jovon on as well; he is currently the only fit out-and-out striker we have at the club, but I can’t see him starting games for us. He’s a young lad who should be starting somewhere like Dorking or Boreham Wood, getting experience. Heaping expectations on him in League One is not a serious option. We can’t recall Freddie or Charley, meaning we’re going to be playing Reeco as a striker (in my opinion) for the next few months. I think it’s unlikely we’ll delve into the free-agent market, but I guess you never quite know.
It’s odd I’ve written this article, and it’s not felt like I’ve done a match report at times. On hearing about the injuries, I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. Secretly, quietly, I’d begun to wonder if maybe we were in with a shout of the top six this season, but with no main striker right now? I’m not so sure. We need Jack Vale to get back to fitness, and then we have to hope that he is the quality that Blackburn fans are suggesting. There’s going to be a lot of pressure on him when he does come in, just as there will be on Danny Mandroiu to get fit, and Reeco to keep doing the things he’s been doing.
One thing is for sure – there’s rarely a dull moment off the field with Lincoln City right now. I’m not sure that’s the way I like it at all.