We got one of those – the rain kept coming down to a point where even match official Jacob Miles ended up on his arse. He had a decent game in my opinion, let things flow, was careful with yellow cards as conditions were a bit ropey, and generally managed the game well. When it’s wet, players do slide in, and I saw Tendayi and Ethan Hamilton slide in a couple of times, winning the ball, but the conditions made the tackles look a little dangerous. They weren’t, and there were a couple the other way as well, but all in all, it was a game played at high tempo in good spirits. It wasn’t easy to officiate though, and I think he got it spot on.
Sean Roughan got something spot on for the third goal – a cross. Everyone knows how much I rate Sean and his contribution is almost always consistent. His delivery is good, but as many tell me, deliveries are only as good as the player on the end of them. Now, we have James Collins, and he gets on the end of things. I might be prone to hyperbole at times, and so please shoot me down, but I believe James Collins could be the most important signing we’ve made since Michael Bostwick. In terms of strikers, I think he might be one of the best we’ve ever sealed. His presence alone is excellent, and when you put balls in as we do, relentlessly, he will score goals. We’re eighth for a number of crosses delivered into the box in League One this season, fifth for accuracy and fifth for those going into the six-yard box.
Just as a boost for Sean, we’re also the most left-sided team in the division, 42% of our attacks coming down the left. Bolton, also with 42%, are the most right-sided attacking side, so our defensive left. That’s how good Sean Roughan was yesterday, having to defend the most attacking team down his flank, but also be a key part of the most attack side as well.
Anyway, his cross was great, but Collins did what Collins does. It looked like a push on their defender, but rather than a forceful shove, there were two hands out. I’ve seen them disallowed, but I recall Macauley Bonne scoring for Ipswich in similar circumstances. Whatever, doesn’t matter, City led 3-2.
Then, it was 4-2. I’m having to skip so much and I’m knee-deep in words here. The fourth goal calls back to that missed House chance. We get a free kick in a good area and you expect a delivery. After all, we’d scored 29 set piece goals ahead of this kick being taken, and a cross, header and goal would only be what we did against Reading. However, showing the meticulous analysis the staff put in, all the time, they’d spotted Baxter’s position. Could Reeco execute something nobody expected?
Yes. My Dad had to ask what had happened, and a few felt the same. Leaving the gap to the left, Reeco delivered the ball to the opposite side of the wall, between a narrow gap and off the inside of the post. Baxter was scrambling across, he’d expected the cross, but we switched it up. Kudos to the guys on the bench. I immediately noticed that they celebrated with one of their staff members, who pointed at him. Reeco celebrated with the Imps supporters, because he executed his kick superbly. Reeco is the sort of player who stands out for three games, then disappears for a couple, but if he didn’t, with his technical ability, he’d be playing higher, and that was a perfect example.
I’ll be honest, I could write more, but I’m beginning to flag a little here. That was 61 minutes, and we didn’t actually have a shot after that. Instead, we controlled the play, shifted to a three at the back and let Bolton do their thing. It could have been different – when Chris Forino-Joseph nodded a cross goalwards six minutes later, it looked to all the world like being 4-3, but Wickens pulled off a super stop. I’m delighted for him, by the way, as since returning from injury he looks so much more confident and composed. There wasn’t a moment yesterday when I felt nervous when he came for a cross, and like Ring, I think Wickens has a big season ahead of him in 25/26.
I think that sucked a bit of life out of the visitors. They did have a late effort from Etete which went wide, but we didn’t exactly get penned in. I think at 4-2 they realised their season was done, and that they’d missed the chance to kick on at 2-2. The game did fizzle out a bit, not to our detriment at all, they’re a big club with top players who always pose a threat, but we managed it, taking the sting out of their potential. It was just an excellent performance.
Back at their place in December, we had Erhahon sent off for two yellows in a minute, infuriatingly. Some joked he wanted New Year off, and I wonder if Josh Dacres-Cogley wants to get on the beach early (unlike Imps players…). He pulled back Jack Moylan on 90 minutes to get a yellow, then two minutes later gave the ball away and jumped in on Ethan Hamilton. Stupidity, really, and both were yellows, meaning we saw a red card for the fourth time in five league matches against Bolton, but the first for them.
It’s crazy, I haven’t even mentioned Jack Moylan coming back, a big boost at the end of the season. I’ve barely talked about Ethan Hamilton looking like the powerhouse midfielder we signed in 2023. It’s hard to layer superlatives onto the team for this single game, but picking Man of the Match, there were probably 11 we could go for.
However, cold hard facts – it is just too little, too late. I look at that Christmas run, one point from 12, and think what might have been. ‘If’ we’d beaten Stevenage and Shrewsbury, games we should have won, we’d be eighth right now. If we’d killed off Exeter and Bristol Rovers earlier in the season, instead of drawing, that would be 70 points, two outside the play-offs. If we’d held on against Huddersfield, if we’d not seen a ball bounce off Tendayi’s arse against Wrexham.
The point is this: yes, there’s ifs and buts, but by and large, we’ve been a competitive force this season. I won’t mention budget, but the xG table would have us sixth. We’ve done enough to be top eight, and thanks to this win, we will 100% finish in the top half. Here’s something to chew on – bar an extraordinary shift in goal difference, this is our third top half finish in a row. That makes it the only time in our history we’ve achieved three top-half finishes in a row outside of the basement division. The last time we achieved it in the ‘third tier’ was in the days of the old North and South divide.
Now, you may not be entertained all the time, you may not like certain players, staff, management, fans or whatever, but there’s absolutely no denying cold, hard facts. Three top half finishes in a row, outside the basement division, is unprecedented for Lincoln City.
These are the best of times, and I genuinely believe we’ll make it four in 12 months time. Where we are in that top half next season, that’s the big question.