I recall under a former manager we used to be poor in the first 15 after half time. In recent weeks we’ve had to weather storms in this section of the game, and have done so well. Yesterday, it was the spell that brought Exeter the most joy. Luke Harris, on loan from Fulham, weaved his way into the area from out wide and tested Jensen with an effort, albeit a weak one. Five minutes later, they grabbed another effort, and this time, it should have been 1-0. Sweeney’s bad ball was turned into a good one by the skills of Rankine, who teed up Aitchinson for a powerful effort. The former Celtic man blasted an effort at goal, only for Jensen to get the merest of touches and divert it onto the crossbar. They had one more half chance a moment later, meaning three of their five shots during the entire game came in that little spell, with their only shot on target as well.
Perhaps if they’d turned the screw, it might have been different, but the final 30 minutes, plus stoppages, belonged to us. The biggest chunk of our xG – 0.86, came in the last third of the game, we mustered four chances, all on target, and perhaps should have been home and dry before Joe Taylor’s goal. Dead on the hour mark, football broke out at Sincil Bank.
I spoke about the pass that unlocks a defence, and McGrandles came up with it, releasing Lasse on the right. His cross found House, who forced a save from the keeper, and the loose ball fell to Hamilton, who drew another good save from Viljami Sinisalo, on loan from Aston Villa. It was a lovely move, and I’ve seen chances like both gobbled up in the past. It got fans on their feet once more and swung the game back in our favour. Indeed, after that moment, Exeter didn’t have a single shot, on or off target. Had the warning made them retreat in fear? Or, was it down to a change we made three minutes later?
Ted Bishop. At times, he’s frustrating, he’s been in and out of form, in and out of fitness. However, he’s one player who has bloomed under Michael Skubala, and when he came on the field, everything shifted. Ted is the player who makes things happen, the magician who waves his wand of a foot at the ball to create magic and illusion. In the past, he’s been deployed as a winger for City, once as a centre forward, I think, but Skubala has found him the role he prefers, dead central, conducting the orchestra. Had he not come on with 30 minutes to go but arrived at half time, there would have been serious, justifiable shouts for him to be Man of the Match. Right now, Ted is in a purple patch, and it’s easy to see where he could fit in the longer term.
There’s quite a lot to like about the goal – Erhahon and Hamilton (now at left wing-back) combined to play a ball into Joe Taylor. Outnumbered, he made a nuisance of himself, and the ball fell to Sweeney, a lump of a defender who did not impress me at all. He tried to hook it clear, but only put it in the reach of Super Ted. By this time, the lively Taylor had wriggled into space, and Ted’s ball found him one on one with the on-loan Villa keeper. It was a golden chance, but exactly the sort we’ve seen him snatch at in recent games. There was no snatching this time; composed and cool, he lifted the ball into the net to decide the game.
I can’t help but feel he’ll end the season with four or five now. Joe Taylor is a player that fans should like, but a handful of misses and a couple of tough matches against big defenders have led to a few grumbles. There’s something I like about him, not just his pace but his swagger. When I watch him, I don’t think ‘loan player’ like I did with Plange or Cullen. Instead, he looks like a Lincoln City player; something in his demeanour really appeals to me. He’s definitely one who needs to play in a two, and it’s vital to note that for the goal, House was pressuring Sweeney when he sliced the ball, but along with Freddie, I think we have three strikers that can be rotated in any combination and cause issues.
That was 67 minutes. My report almost ends there. Exeter offered nothing at all after that, even after they brought on Mo Eisa, another loan player. We just saw the game out confidently, and we even chucked another shot on target in there, as Ted weaved into the area and made the keeper push a good effort over the bar. Apart from that, we just controlled play, whilst a deflated Exeter looked like they knew the game was up.
There was a big moment for sub Jack Moylan, which I ought to touch upon. Ted (obviously) lifted the ball through for him, and he seemingly beat Sweeney for pace. it looked like he was then tugged back in the moment, but the referee waved it away. Now, if it’s not a foul, surely it’s a yellow for Moylan? I’ve watched it back, and whilst it’s slight, there is contact between Sweeney and Moylan. Was it a foul? It would be weak if it was against us, but watching back isn’t conclusive. If I can’t make my mind up with the benefit of slow-motion replays, then I’ll let the ref off for not making a decision in real-time. Still, it didn’t affect my mood, leaving the ground!
It’s strange that I felt so positive. We controlled the game and only really looked like conceding once, but it wasn’t a game with endless chances. There’s no doubt 2-0 wouldn’t have been unfair, and we certainly deserved the three points without ever really breaking a sweat. Exeter certainly aren’t the worst side I’ve seen at the Bank this season, but if they’re midtable fodder, which they probably are, then our lofty position of tenth is more than reflective of where we are. I was struck by a comment the Charlton comms made a couple of times the other night – ‘this isn’t a good Lincoln side’. I disagree. It’s a functional Lincoln side, solid at the back, but with enough in forward areas to suggest we’re on the right track.
The key to the win, in my eyes, was the midfield. McGrandles has settled like snow; he looks like he’s never been away, and with Hamilton and Erhahon, we have the sort of midfield options that allow us to exert a degree of control in games. It also means we don’t have to put Ted too deep; he can be unleashed in the sort of areas where he’s most effective. He didn’t win the game alone for us yesterday; it was a solid team effort, but there’s no doubt at all that he was a massive factor in the shift in tempo.
The final word has to be saved for Ben House. 15 days ago; we were wondering when we might see him, thinking the end of March before he might be fully match fit. Yesterday, he completed 90 minutes, fought for everything and in the final ten, didn’t look like he was struggling for fitness at all. What a testament to his dedication and to the medical team for how swiftly he has recovered. With Joe Taylor buzzing around him, we’ve got an attack that opposition defence should genuinely fear, and it’s only going to get better with Reeco coming back and Freddie as well.
Seven games ago, we were looking down with trepidation and a little fear. There were so many unanswered questions about personnel, what we might need, who might come in and whether it would be enough for us to salvage something from a season blighted by injuries to big players. Here we are, seven games later, looking up the table and wondering, what if? There’s always one team that comes steaming in from nowhere, that hits form at the right time and climbs into the top six to surprise pundits. Could it be us? 11 points is a lot to make up, but as Michael Skubala says, he’ll wait until the end of February before saying much more. So far this month, we’ve taken ten points from twelve, and there are six still to play for, both matches against sides who have won for a few weeks.
Could we? Dare we dream?
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