It’s fair to say that the second half passed most people by, including the players. That is probably unfair, as it was more of a slog for them than the first. The rain intensified after the break, and while Vale pushed for an equaliser, they did not create many clear chances. Hall beat his man on our left on 55 minutes and fizzed a low cross into the six yard area, but Wickens reacted quickly to smother before an attacker could pounce.
Before the game, I popped to see Chris and we played a couple of games of FIFA or whatever it is called now. I have not played the new one, and there is a mode called realistic mode, or something. Anyway, it slows everything down, and our game was turgid, just two men losing the ball to each other before a moment of stupidity let the other in. The second half pretty much reflected our game. We both tried, by the end I am sure our palms were sweaty on the controllers, but if anyone asked ‘what happened’ we would have to admit ‘not much’.
We made changes. They made changes. We got a couple of decisions, they got a couple of decisions. It was all just happening, with little to enjoy. Our fans got mildly irate when Freddie Draper did not get a couple of free kicks. They brought on Mo Faal, a player I liked during his Wrexham spell, but it did not change much. A long free kick into our box on 72 minutes caused a brief scramble, with several headers popping up awkwardly before Tom Hamer got enough on the ball to force it behind. Rob Street dealt with the resulting corner at the near post and we regained our shape.
I have this thing, where in games we are winning narrowly, I put £5 on us to draw 1-1 while the game is in play. I figure that the odds are usually alright, and if the other team score, I can at least afford a couple of pints to drown my sorrows. I did it at 0-0 in the Exeter game and got enough for a Chinese in the evening. It might be pessimistic, but it is a little comfort blanket for me. You know how it is, you can see when the game is going to swing one way.
Yesterday, I did not even do that. I just could not see either side scoring in the second period. Us? Less so than them, but they are without a league goal since October 11, and I can see why. I like Darren Moore, he is an honest guy, but I just cannot see how he is going to be in a job come Christmas.
Their threat was typified eight minutes from time. In fairness, they did not stop knocking, and Kyle John burst down our left and picked out Hall in space, but his tame effort gave Wickens an easy save. It was the story of their afternoon, one shot on target in the whole 97 minutes we sat through. It also gave us chances, because as they pushed forward, we came alive, a little. Hamer caught a dropping ball sweetly inside the area, but it skimmed the side netting. Then, in the closing moments, Reach drove to the byline and cut back for James Collins, only for the striker to drag his shot inches wide under pressure.
Late on, Ben House picked up a yellow for a pretty late challenge. Having watched it back, it is not entirely unlike Luke Leahy last weekend, one I said VAR would probably change to a red. Ben was studs up and out of control, a bit like Leahy. The difference, in my eyes, is that House did not catch his opponent with his studs, rather the follow-through. However, in a game that was all slap and no punch, the referee was unlikely to raise the roof with a late red.
That was that. Last weekend I came away from watching Wycombe thinking how well we had played and how we had got nothing. This week, the opposite. If we had drawn that game, or lost, then social media would have been a tough place to be. It does not bother me as I stay away now, but winning 1-0 changes the opinion, as it will be ‘decent teams have to win ugly’ or ‘at least we got three points’. The truth is, as Michael Skubala said in his post-match interview, these games are not easy. So many times we play bottom of the league and draw or lose. So, to come away from such a tie with three points, in any fashion, is very much unlike Lincoln City.
It was crucial that we won yesterday. It gave us a bit of a cushion over some of the chasing teams, like Huddersfield, Luton and Bolton. It kept us up there with teams I suspect might fall away soon, Bradford and Stevenage. It also gave us a little leg up into a run of six games that sees us face five of our promotion rivals, Barnsley (twice), Cardiff, Stockport and Huddersfield Town. There is Blackpool tucked in there as well, a run that will go a long way to defining whether we are top six candidates, or top ten.
It could be the run that defines whether this season is memorable, unlike yesterday’s game, which some of you will likely have forgotten by the time you are opening your Christmas presents. Hell, some of you will have forgotten by the time you are buying them.
Up the Imps