On the cusp of the new football season

I haven't written about Lincoln City in quite a while now, and I think that's rather indicative of my general feelings about the state of the club and the disappointment of last season.

It seems almost blasphemous to write this, but I think that one reason that I enjoyed this summer is simply because I put the Imps out of my mind. I haven't really kept up with news of departures or new signings and I certainly haven't missed trudging down to the Bank on Saturday afternoons.

So it is with mixed feelings that I face the new season, despite my season ticket having been renewed early on in the summer.  The new season should be a time of fresh beginnings and excitement at the unknown exploits that lie ahead.  Sadly, the repeatedly poor performances of last season combined with the fact that we barely have the resources to buy teabags leaves me with no optimism that this year's team will be any good at all.  While I don't doubt Holdsworth's honest intentions, I have grave doubts over his tactical abilities.  I fear that the bottom half of the table will once again be City's domain and that attendances will continue to be embarrassingly low as the people of Lincoln refuse to pay premium prices for a bargain basement product.

To cap it all, this summer has also seen the club's official website given an overhaul (I suspect due to the removal of the Football League's sponsored template).  Sadly, I've so far found it a badly designed mess to navigate and impossible to use on a mobile phone so that certainly hasn't improved my desire to keep checking and keeping up with changes at the club.

One change for the new season is the name of the stadium.  Thankfully, the fundraising competition was won by the excellent '12th Imp' initiative, giving Sincil Bank the new name of 'The 12th Imp Sincil Bank Stadium'.  Definitely better than I feared it might be, and definitely better than losing the traditional name to that of a sponsor.

Hopefully, of course, I can return to this post in a few month's time and curse my own grumpiness and lack of faith as we sit towards the top end of the table having played some half-decent football.  If the last 18 years of supporting Lincoln have taught me anything, though, it's not to believe in miracles.  Bring on Kidderminster...

11 August 2012 - post match addendum

So, with the Imps beating Kidderminster 1-0, am I going to be retracting the above comments?  No. But I will admit to the side showing some potential, despite much more work clearly being needed.

It was good to see Taylor being given a chance, and with his bustling workrate he showed why he should have played a lot more last season.  His strike partner Duffy didn't get a sniff of goal but worked hard and was involved in quite a few attacks.  Farman demonstrated that he'll earn us a good few points before the season is over.  Finally, the centre-half pairing of Boyce and Miller looked good in open play, though its clear that set pieces still need an awful lot of work on the training ground.

On the downside, I thought that Adam Smith looked slow on the ball, and on the few occasions he had to run at his defender, telegraphed his moves and generally looked sluggish.  Substitute Vadaine Oliver takes the plaudits for worst performance of all, though, as his lacklustre, effort free half hour saw him barely willing to stay with his man, and his two efforts at goal redefine the word 'tame'.  Despite his Sheffield Wednesday pedigree, he will have to improve rapidly if he is going to prove to be worth his wages.

Still, a win and a clean sheet on the opening day is a rare thing in Imps-land, so long may it continue.

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England - is hard work enough?

After being knocked out of Euro 2012 by a dominant Italian team who somehow failed to score a sackful, the usual post-tournament fan and media debrief now begins.  Losing on penalties has allowed the media to pull out the 'unlucky England' headlines, but let's be honest - if the score after 90 minutes had been 3-0 Italy then nobody could have complained.

There are positives.  Its actually quite hard to despise this England team compared to the one that shamefully underperformed in South Africa, and Roy Hodgson has at the very least got them looking like they don't hate each other and aren't terrified of being seen in public.  Some of the youngsters will undoubtedly learn a huge amount from this experience.


But its impossible to avoid the elephant in the room, which is the sheer lack of technical ability that England's so called 'world class' players possess.  It might be acceptable for Albania to try and hang on for penalties from the 30 minute mark onwards, but genuinely classy teams such as Germany, Spain and Portugal must surely be maintaining a polite silence while they wonder how we in England have the audacity to consider ourselves to be of that calibre.


The main plaudit given to England is that they are 'hardworking', and this is undoubtedly true.  The team most definitely did work their socks off during their four matches, and this dogged determination was a factor in getting out of the group.  But surely for 'world class' players, working hard for the whole match should be a given, not a laudible attribute.


Ultimately, England flattered to deceive in every single match, and saw uncharacteristically good fortune in the group stages as all three opponents missed numerous gilt-edged chances.  The 'shots' statistics alone show how much pressure England's goal sustained and is indicative of the balance of play:


England 3 shots - France 19 shots
England 15 shots - Sweden 12 shots
England 9 shots - Ukraine 16 shots
England 9 shots - Italy 35 shots


Even the mighty Ukraine, albeit on home soil, were able to press England back and the boys in white were unable to control the ball for more than a few passes in any of their outings, instead relying on counter attacking football.  As the Italy match clearly demonstrated, such tactics fail as soon as quality opposition is faced.


The sad conclusion is that the solution to England's repeated tournament disappointment doesn't lie with the current squad, and it doesn't lie with the Under 21's.  It lies with the little babies currently gurgling away and unaware of what a football even is.  The way in which the next generation is taught to play is the key to England finally being able to live up to the lofty titles we aspire to, and that is something that needs to be acted upon immediately.

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Lincoln City – an absolute shower at Bath…

Let’s face facts – if Lincoln City were a racehorse, they would have been taken round the back of the shed and had their brains blown out by now.  And I can’t shake the feeling that perhaps that would be a kindness…

After being beaten by bottom of the league Bath (giving them only their 5^th win of the season), City now sit level on points with the top relegation place, only staying out of the red zone by goal difference.  Surely by this time next week we won’t even have that luxury as the teams below us continue to do something that seems beyond City’s feckless squad – actually fighting to avoid the drop.

And therein lies the worst thing for me at the moment.  Just like last season, it feels like we’re going down without a fight from the players or the board.  I’m never one to call for a manager’s head, and I have respect for David Holdsworth, but its clear that he doesn’t know how to turn it around and that the players are just not fired up or driven enough under his leadership.  A manager can be unlucky in a single game, but over 30 or more games the lack of improvement is impossible to ignore.  Although having three managers in a season is ridiculous, it’s surely the only way to have any chance of shaking the apple cart and picking up some precious points by fair means or foul.

That's not to say that I hold Holdsworth or even the board as primarily responsible for this mess.  It's the players who draw their wages and are expected to be professionals doing their job who I would feel the most resentment towards should the worst happen.  It's a sad truth of football though that players will always shirk responsibility when the excrement hits the air circulation device, but a new voice controlling the dressing room is one way to try to instil some collective responsibility.

I could rant on for hours trying to find a way to articulate my feelings at the moment, but I’ll end by simply asking ‘does anybody actually take any enjoyment out of following Lincoln any more?’  Can any Lincoln fan say they go because they actually enjoy the experience, or are we all still there out of a misplaced loyalty to a bunch of useless journeymen who couldn’t care less what league we are playing in? Sadly, I find myself more and more questioning whether the money and emotional strain that go into following the Imps are actually worth it any more.

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Lincoln City – is the unthinkable becoming reality?

After another dismal and aimless performance which saw the mighty Alfreton Town become the latest club to leave Sincil Bank with a swag bag filled with three points, City have to start facing up to a horrific possibility that is looming ever larger - consecutive relegations.

Even the most pessimistic of fans at the start of the season saw a double relegation as beyond contemplation, but that awful reality seems to be edging closer. It feels as if the only talent the Imps have is to plumb ever deeper depths of atrociousness year on year.

The parallels with last season are terrifying:

• A group of players who think they are better than they are but who have a shocking tendency to lose evenly-balanced matches

• A manager who is convinced that he doesn't need to change anything he is doing

• A set of restless fans starting to get angry, which will affect the players performances even more

• Teams below us with better organisation and a greater desire to win

The silence about our predicament from the manager and board is deafening. Words are cheap, but we're not even getting any fighting talk. Has the entire club gone into atrophy or is there simply such shock about just how fatal the fall through another trapdoor would be that it cannot even be voiced?

The sad truth is that doing nothing will get us nowhere. On paper the players should be good enough. The problem is that they are not playing as a team, they are not organised, and they simply don't ever look fired up enough to chase and harry the opposition into making mistakes.  We stroll around casually, waiting for something to happen rather than fighting for every lost cause and loose ball.  When was the last time the City players left the field looking like they were about to drop from fatigue after running themselves into the ground?

City fans have long viewed the Conference as the ultimate abyss, but now have to face the thought of instantly dropping even lower - to a level so cataclysmically embarrassing it has never really been contemplated.

Even when Boston United dropped down through the leagues, at least they had the excuse that they had been punished for off the field irregularities with points deductions. The Imps would have to live with the fact that they had been relegated through sheer lack of ability.

The time for the ship to be turned around is now, but are the players and manager up to the task?  I begin to fear not…

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Sincil Bank – to move or not to move

The issue of moving to a new ground is something that rears its head occasionally at every club.  Lincoln City are no different, and discussion of whether or not a new stadium would ultimately be the catalyst to success is a popular one.

Recently, however, the issue has not only come back on to the table, but seems to be a more serious consideration than I’ve known it in my 18ish year association with the club.  With fans’ opinion divided, here are some of my thoughts on the pros and cons associated with moving ground.

The plus side – potential advantages of moving

Increased commercial income

This is Chairman Bob Dorrian’s big argument in favour of moving.  Basically, if we build a ground with swanky modern facilities that can be used by community groups and businesses, such as conference suites, meeting rooms, sports training centres etc, then this will be a big source of revenue for the footballing side of the club.  Dorrian also envisages the ground being surrounded by ‘hotels, restaurants, shops and banqueting facilities’.  Basically, rather than just being a football pitch and stands used once or twice a week, the stadium becomes the centre of an important venue, used for various purposes seven days a week.

Building a new ground is better value for money than redeveloping Sincil Bank

The figures currently being bandied around suggest that a new ground could be built for £9 million, compared with a suggested £4.5 million needed to redevelop Sincil Bank.  In addition, the club might expect to see income from the land value of Sincil Bank.

Better facilities for fans

As much as we might love Sincil Bank, its position within a Victorian housing estate does create issues of access and space.  A new ground would enable modern road access and car parking provision to be planned in from day one.  Better for home fans, better for visiting fans, better for people who live near the ground.

The downside – potential disadvantages of moving

Is the commercial argument flawed?

The big question is simply ‘how much income would the new ground really be able to generate during the week?’  I hope that the board doesn’t blind itself in believing that millions of pounds will be generated through use of the ground by non-football fans.  If the location is to be Tritton Road, then it’s hardly in the city centre, and the City is not short of well-placed conference facilities, restaurants and shops.  There also needs to be clarity regarding the proposed business model - who will run these hotels, shops and restaurants around the ground?  Will they be run directly by the football club?  Then how will the costs of managing such businesses be met and who will own the risk of them failing (as so many are in the current climate)?  Would they be club owned and then franchised out? If they are to be owned entirely by other companies and simply near to the ground, then what benefit is there to the club?  Is the idea that people will go out for a meal and be tempted to buy a replica shirt?

The arguments made by the board that the club will benefit from increased additional income need to be water-tight, otherwise we could find ourselves worse–off than ever, and at the moment the commercial arguments seem very woolly indeed.

The Tritton Road location

Although any move would no doubt improve fan access over that currently provided at Sincil Bank, surely anyone who knows Lincoln at all would realise that Tritton Road is already a nightmare to negotiate at any time, let alone Saturday afternoon.  Adding a few thousand football fans (and more if the club’s future ambitions are realised) to that mix is just crazy.  If a new ground is to become a reality, then surely locations linked to the new eastern bypass, when it eventually happens, are a far more sustainable option.

The heritage disconnect

As someone with an interest in history, this is obviously an important factor for me but I’m aware that some fans don’t see heritage as a reason to stay, and I can respect that stance.  The thing is that Sincil Bank has been the home of Lincoln City since 1884, and the idea that we still watch the team from the same place that the people of Lincoln were doing 130 years ago means something.  Football clubs, even small, unsuccessful ones, are all about history, and breaking with such history is not a decision to be taken lightly – especially when the club is at possibly its lowest ever ebb.  You can never get it back once you’ve bulldozed it and replaced it with houses.

Loss of identity

Linked to the loss of heritage is the fact that Sincil Bank is a unique name in English Football, and one that has been around since the invention of the sport.  Instead, it will most likely be replaced with a sponsor-named stadium.  Goodbye Sincil Bank, hello ‘The Starglaze Arena’.  Sorry, where?

Identikit ground syndrome

This may be a sweeping statement, but I’ll say it anyway - new grounds are all identical and soulless.  They also tend to be smaller.  Although we don’t currently get anywhere near filling the 10,000 odd capacity of Sincil Bank, there is a certain loss of face about moving to a 6,000 capacity ground.  It’s like at the same time as we’re ‘securing the future of the club’, we’re admitting that we’ll never be as big as we once were.  And that's just depressing.

The quality of the football

Basically, a new stadium may attract a full house for the first game, but if the football continues to be dire and City continue to struggle on as a non-league team, then fans still will not turn up on a regular basis.  If City played at Old Trafford, would we suddenly get 10,000 fans in?  Of course not.  Good football and promotions lead to more fans, not shiny facilities.

Ground redevelopment should be more seriously considered

Although a new ground is being seen as ‘better value for money’, why could a rebuilt St Andrew’s stand not contain the new commercial facilities that the board desire so much?  The Chairman has made the blanket statement that Sincil bank is ‘not fit for purpose’, but I think that fans (and shareholders in particular) need this premise to be more fully (and openly) investigated before a more drastic path is taken.

Who will pay for it?

Although I can see that short term pain can be worth it for long term success, for how long will the club be paying off the new ground?  Will these payments affect the manager’s ability to buy players in the near future?

The experience of other clubs

The idea of moving to a new ground is nothing new, and many other clubs of roughly Lincoln’s size, though mostly not of our pathetic non-league status it must be said, have moved in recent years.  These include Northampton Town, Rushden and Diamonds, Oxford United, Shrewsbury Town, Darlington, Doncaster Rovers, Hull City and Chesterfield.

Some of these have been less than successful – Darlington being the highest profile example, although many will rightly say that they are something of a unique case and were massively overambitious.  Oxford Town have similarly suffered through an overambitious chairman.

Shrewsbury, Doncaster and Chesterfield are perhaps too early to judge, but on the face of it look like they will go down as success stories, with the clubs at least no worse off than before.  It has to be said, though, that these clubs moved at times when they were in good form on the pitch, and the move was to accompany success, not to be the catalyst for it straight after relegation.

Every football club is different, and every town and city they are based in is different.  Direct comparisons with other stories of success and failure are therefore very difficult to make.  Sadly, City’s history is not resplendent with things going our way though…

My thoughts

Overall, I’m not currently swayed by the arguments to build a new ground, and I’m slightly concerned that the board is becoming a little starstruck at the thought of some shiny new facilities (remember what happened the last time they got starstruck when appointing a manager…).  The future stability of the club is of paramount importance, and on current arguments a new ground seems to fall a long way short of guaranteeing that outcome, with the risk of losing the club’s sense of identity and heritage too great a gamble. 

I for one need to see far more persuasive arguments being made than the ones currently being touted.

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Lincoln City’s joyless Christmas

It seems Lincoln City fans must have been bad boys and girls this year, as any that asked Santa for a resurgence in form and a few points in the bag have been left sadly disappointed.

I stopped blogging individual match reports before Christmas, and to be honest it has saved me from writing a lot of depressing words as City have slumped to defeats against Grimsby twice and today York City, scoring only two goals yet conceding seven.

One thought struck me today as I was sat watching the second half slip away - player for player, Grimsby and York aren't better than City.  The ability on the ball of players like Power, Platt, Taylor and Laurent is as good as any in this league.  The difference, as I see it, has been down to 3 very important things which City are lacking:

1) Work ethic

Although I will stop short of calling City’s current crop of players lazy, the energy shown by York today to keep closing down and deny us time on the ball shows just how much more City players could be doing to stop the opposition playing.  There is a tendency for players to get close to the opposing player, but never really get close and apply relentless pressure.

The same applies when attacking.  A York break resulted in the midfield bursting to get forward and support the attack.  A City break more often than not results in the ball being supplied to the striker, who is then left to fend for himself.  This brings us neatly onto...

2) Movement off the ball

Time and time again City’s attacks are breaking down because the player with the ball isn’t given options by his team-mates.  This leads to the ball being lost either because the player can’t beat three defenders by himself, is forced into trying an ambitious pass that fails, or is forced to head back towards his own goal or hoof the ball long.  It's as if the players think that once someone else has the ball, then their responsibility for what happens next has ended.  That shouldn't be the case in a team where all the players are supposed to be playing for each other.  Goals in this league come from good team play and movement far more than from moments of individual creative brilliance.

3) Communication / leadership

Lincoln City simply don’t seem to have a leader on the pitch.  Josh Gowling seemed to come close to this role, but the loss of the captain’s armband and his constant dropping from the team has eroded this.  The role of Scott Kerr for York today, constantly chivvying and directing his team, made it obvious just how much we have missed him or someone of his ilk.  The Scott Kerr haters just don’t seem to understand that Kerr wasn’t invaluable to the Imps because of his passing or tackling, he was invaluable because he is an intelligent player and a leader.  The most talking City players seem to do nowadays is when they try to decide who was at fault for yet again not picking up the striker who has just scored a tap-in against us.

Unlike some City fans, I also refuse to blame referees for the defeats.  Yes, the referees against Grimsby at Blundell Park and today against York weren't great and made some rather dodgy decisions which went against the Imps, but come on, people.  City were poor in those two games, and would have lost no matter what the referee did.

Let’s just hope that next Saturday’s FA Trophy tie against Carshalton Athletic can result in a win and a confidence boost that we can carry into the league.

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Forest Green Rovers v Lincoln City, 17 December 2011

Venue: The Lawn, Nailsworth

Attendance: 969

Final score: 0-2

 

In years gone by, a reference to ‘playing away at Forest’ would have meant nothing to Lincoln fans other than a jaunt down the A46 to Nottingham.  Now, of course, things have changed, and that phrase is more likely to refer to City’s latest opponents , the eco-warriors of Forest Green Rovers.

Forest Green are having a good season, sitting on the outskirts of the playoffs, and prior to this match unbeaten in 8.  The only change to the City lineup following their cup win against Colwyn Bay was the return of Farman in goal.

The Imps started brightly, with Laurent looking particularly lively, but the game quickly became mired in midfield, and with the referee’s whistle a constant sound.

City survived a scare on the 24^th minute when Matt Taylor’s header came back off the bar.  The margins of luck are slim in football, and City would see fate turn in their favour before the half ended.

In the 40^th minute, Laurent turned Turley inside the box, but slipped over.  As he scrambled to his feet, he was dragged down by the defender, who saw shown a red card for his trouble, and City had the chance to take the lead from the spot.  Alan Power duly slotted home the kick to give City a 1-0 lead at the break.

Despite being a man down, Forest Green came out fighting in the second half, with a pacy attack.  City were able to hit out on the break, however, and when Thompson found Laurent in the 73nd minute, the Frenchman was able to put a powerful shot past Bittner to score his first for the Imps, and secure the three points.

Although the red card incident ultimately decided the game, the Imps did well to secure another three points against a team having a good season.  Although it’s too early to start celebrating anything, Holdsworth’s team is certainly showing more ability and fight than Tilson’s, and it is to be hoped that, although only 5 points clear of the relegation places, City can start looking up the table to safety rather than back over their shoulders.

On a related note, following my thoughts on my 100^th blog post here, I have decided that this will be the last of my match by match reports.  It is becoming difficult to find the time to write after every single match, and of course there isn’t always much to add to what has been written elsewhere.

FOREST GREEN ROVERS
1 James Bittner
2 Jared Hodgkiss
3 Chris Stokes
5 Jamie Turley
8 Yan Klukovski
11 Kieron Forbes
14 Matt Taylor
21 Jake Thomson
22 Eddie Oshodi
23 Michael Uwezu
24 Liam Henderson

Substitutes
19 James Rowe for Uwezu 62
7 James Norwood for Klukowski 73
10 Charlie Griffin
16 Luke Graham
30 Simon Locke

LINCOLN CITY
28 Paul Farman
13 Tony Sinclair
2 Richard Hinds
5 Josh Gowling
3 John Nutter
34 Tyrone Thompson
27 Jean-Francois Christophe
8 Alan Power
12 Conal Platt
11 Francis Laurent
7 Jamie Taylor
Substitutes
32 Luke Medley for Platt 61
15 Simon Russell for Taylor 80
36 Jake Sheridan for Laurent 90
17 Nicky Nicolau
1 Joe Anyon

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Colwyn Bay v Lincoln City, 10 December 2011

Venue: Llanelian Road, Colwyn Bay

Attendance: unknown

Final score: 1-3

 

One of the most noticeable results of dropping down into non-league is the changes you see in cup competitions.  Leagues stay pretty much the same – you play everyone twice, there are relegation spots, playoff spots and automatic promotion spots – same old, same old.  But the cups are a different story - you don’t play the League Cup or Johnston’s Paint Trophy at all, you suddenly have to start qualifying to even get to the first round of the FA Cup (which of course this season City failed to do), and you start playing in the mighty FA Trophy, possibly the single least prestigious trophy in the land.

Today, City dipped their toe into the murky waters of that same competition against Colwyn Bay of the Conference North.  With City’s confidence fragile at the best of times a cup run of any sort seems optimistic, as every team out there will be seeing us as a big scalp and up for the game.  Thankfully, although pre-match talk was of fast-rising Colwyn Bay doing just that, City managed to ease past the Welshmen and into the second round.

City’s starting line-up changed slightly from the well-earned midweek draw against Luton with Anyon, Taylor and Laurent coming into the side.  Anyon because Farman was ineligible, and Taylor and Laurent because, frankly, their second half performance against Luton made it pretty hard to drop them.

The first half went City’s way, with the Imps starting brightly and, crucially, getting their noses in front early to dent the confidence of the home side.  Laurent slid the ball to Taylor in the 10^th minute, and the striker bagged his first of the season with a pinpoint finish from just inside the box.

The goal spurred Colwyn Bay into life and they duly put pressure on the Imps’ goal, until Lee McEvilly’s elbow on Laurent saw the defender pick up a straight red card and put a dent in his side’s ambitions.

The Imps continued to attack and just after the half hour mark they doubled their lead.  Power picked out Platt, who unleashed a 20 yard effort past the keeper for his second of the season.

The second half saw the Imps resume their attack, and Taylor saw what he thought was his second goal ruled out for offside.  City were pressing hard, but on the hour mark Colwyn Bay were handed a lifeline.  Anyon was adjudged to have impeded Hopley after he had shot wide and the ref gave a harsh penalty.  McLachlan dispatched the spot kick, meaning that Anyon once again failed to keep a clean sheet, and the ten men of Colwyn Bay had a chance of getting back into the cup-tie.

City brought on Russell for Laurent, and City thankfully soon restored their two goal advantage.  Taylor grabbed his second of the game with a shot into the roof of the net from the edge of the box to put the game beyond doubt, and City into the second round.

Although on paper this should always have been a City win, the combination of being away at lower league opposition with a long journey involved made this a potential banana skin.  Thankfully the Imps avoided it deftly, and we await the draw to see if this most underrated of cup competitions can turn out to be the one that City excel in.  I’m not holding my breath though…

COLWYN BAY
1 Jack Cudworth
2 Luke Denson
3 Mike Lea
4 Lee McEvilly
5 Matty Hughes
6 John Mckenna
7 Gareth Evans
8 Fraser McLachlan
9 Rob Hopley
10 Jon Newby
11 Danny Lloyd
Substitutes
12 Karl Noon for Newby 72
14 Lee Davey for Lloyd 90
15 Chris King
16 Liam Benson
17 Simon Williams

Lincoln City

1 Joe Anyon
13 Tony Sinclair
2 Richard Hinds
5 Josh Gowling
3 John Nutter
34 Tyrone Thompson
27 Jean-Francois Christophe
8 Alan Power
12 Conal Platt
11 Francis Laurent
7 Jamie Taylor
Substitutes
36 Jake Sheridan for Power 59
15 Simon Russell for Laurent 65
17 Nicky Nicolau for Platt 79
9 Kyle Perry
21 Nick Draper

 

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Lincoln City v Luton Town, 6 December 2011

Venue: Sincil Bank Stadium, Lincoln

Attendance: 2,049

Final score: 1-1

Following on from Saturday’s disappointing showing against Newport County, City needed to continue their improved home form against high flying Luton on a freezing cold night at Sincil Bank.  Thankfully, the performance was a big improvement, and City fought to claim a well deserved point.

City only had one change to the starting line-up, with Russell reclaiming his place at the expense of Laurent.  Luton brought a couple of familiar faces with them in the form of Janos Kovaks, the former Imps defender and midfielder Jamie Hand.

The match began in scrappy fashion, with both sides looking to attack, but Luton looking the more incisive on the ball.  The visitors had the ball in the net after just 9 minutes, but the linesman ruled that the ball had gone out of play before O’Connor headed it home – much to City’s relief.

Oddly, the disallowed goal seemed to spur City into life more than Luton, and the midfield were playing some nice football, often under close pressure from Luton players, who were closing down well.  Russell and Power in particular were linking up well, but with City playing 4-5-1, the service to the lone striker Perry was all important, and the big man was finding it difficult to hold the ball up.  For all of City’s possession, Pilkington was the quieter of the two keepers in the first half.

Inevitably, predictably (and any other ‘tably’ word you feel free to add here), City couldn’t hang on until the break, and Luton scored a soft goal on 36 minutes, somewhat against the run of play.  The ball was put into the box by O’Connor, and Crow reacted quickest to stab it home from close range.

Perry was lucky not to feel the referee’s wrath straight after the goal, when he clattered into Gleeson.  The referee saw it as a clash of heads but from where I was sitting, which was pretty close by, Perry was lucky not to be punished for leading with his elbow.

City therefore trailed somewhat undeservedly at the break, whilst up in the cold, cold stand I sipped my hot chocolate and tried not to break my teeth on my frozen Revels.

City made a rare halftime change, with Perry being replaced by Laurent.  Two good early City breakaways were wasted by Thompson – the midfielder first handing a pass to a defender, then blasting a wild shot high and wide.

The match changed for City with the introduction of Taylor for Russell.  Although Russell had been having a good game, Taylor immediately injected some drive into the attack, and I for one was very pleased to see him getting his chance.  With his first touch, he cut inside and flashed a low shot just wide of the post.

City now began to be in the ascendancy, with Taylor and Laurent’s movement causing problems for the Luton defence as the Imps changed to 4-4-2.

The deserved equaliser came in the 77^th minute when Platt tricked his way past his man to get to the byline, chipping a neat, deep cross to the back post.  Hinds was there to head the ball home from very close range.

City’s tails were up and the match was now wide open for either side to win.  City’s cause was helped in the 85^th minute when Lawless was shown a second yellow card for a deliberate trip on Platt.

Luton were still causing problems, though, and the prospect of City’s work being undone by a late winner was still very real.

Luton’s second red card limited their attacking options, as former Imp (and part-time thug) Jamie Hand saw his second yellow card in injury time.

Although many Imps fans seem to have left the ground vaguely disappointed that three points weren’t claimed, everyone would have gladly taken a point before the game, and Luton had enough chances themselves to also feel that they could have got more from the game.

As it is, City’s home form continues to be good, and the second half performance was as clear a steer as it is possible to get that Jamie Taylor should be replacing Kyle Perry up front, but that the Imps still need Sam Smith to get fit again as soon as possible.

LINCOLN CITY
28 Paul Farman
13 Tony Sinclair
2 Richard Hinds
5 Josh Gowling
3 John Nutter
8 Alan Power
34 Tyrone Thompson
27 Jean-Francois Christophe
15 Simon Russell
12 Conal Platt
9 Kyle Perry
Substitutes
11 Francis Laurent for Perry H/T
7 Jamie Taylor for Russell 58
36 Jake Sheridan for Christophe 81
17 Nicky Nicolau
1 Joe Anyon

LUTON TOWN
30 Kevin Pilkington
2 Dan Gleeson
6 George Pilkington
34 Janos Kovacs
15 Jake Howells
4 Keith Keane
7 Alex Lawless
28 Adam Watkins
11 Robbie Willmott
14 Aaron O'Connor
10 Danny Crow
Substitutes
27 Jamie Hand for G Pilkington H/T
19 James Dance for Willmott 77
23 Ryan Brunt for O'Connor 81
13 Stuart Fleetwood
1 Mark Tyler

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