Some Positives But Not The Points

Screw the game, screw the performance, just get the points! That was pretty much the message ahead of last night’s game. Only we didn’t get them. The outcome could have been better, could have been worse - which left us instead to focus on the positives to be taken – and the main one was pretty obvious – as well as what Jones might have learnt, especially as the starting team put out contained some adjustments and experiments.

That team showed five changes from the ultimately limp defeat at Reading. Out went Gillesphey (who had gone off injured at the break on Saturday) and Edun, both to the bench, Coventry and Watson(L), neither making the squad, and Ladapo, to the bench. In came Edmunds-Green to accompany Jones and Thomas in the central defensive three, Ramsay to operate as the right-sided wing-back, with Watson(T) switching to the left, Dobson, reinstalled as captain, to partner Bakinson, plus the real surprise of Anderson playing a more advanced role. Kanu came in to start to partner May. And on the bench there was the very welcome sight of Aneke. With him, Ladapo, Camara and Campbell available, we did have options to change the game from the bench.

Any optimism on that front was curbed by a poor first-half showing, one which highlighted failings in both boxes. We created little of note – a Bakinson nod down which Kanu couldn’t convert, a low shot from close range from Bakinson which was comfortably saved, and another from him from further out which went wide – and Lincoln, despite being content to stay behind the ball and concede possession (most of it going square and back), looking the more threatening when they did attack, exploiting uncertainty in our back line. And they took the lead, not long before the break, with their only effort on target of the half. A ball in from their left produced a mistimed header back out by Dobson, which was collected by Hackett-Fairchild, who took it beyond an unbalanced challenge and drilled the shot low off the turf and into the net. Dispiriting but all too familiar.

We had failed to take the game by the scruff of the neck, despite its obvious importance for us. As so often there had been no lack of effort, rather a lack of bravery in choices (Ramsay excepted) and of precision and pace. All the discussion at half-time was about how soon Chuks might appear.

There were no changes to start the second half, but we only had to wait until just after the hour for Aneke to appear. And it was for May. Now nobody is downplaying how important he is for us, but we have to acknowledge that for whatever reason he’s been looking jaded and out of sorts of late. I noted down that a couple of decent balls into their box had found no-one, largely because May was not getting into the areas which he had been, just appeared too late. A brave decision by Jones but an understandable one (the alternative, as suggested by Curbs on CATV, was to move him back to a No.10 role).

Almost immediately Aneke was causing problems, just with his presence. But before we could start to anticipate an equaliser we came close to going two behind, which might have killed the game off, as at Reading. Anderson fouled a guy moving forward. It was a fair way out, but the free kick was touched to one side and their guy hit a screamer. It beat Isted but came back off the outside of the post (possible he had it covered if it had been on target).

That was to be Lincoln’s final effort as an attacking force. On 70 minutes we made a double change, with Ladapo and Camara coming on for Kanu and Bakinson, and in no time at all we were level. A ball forward was met by a bustling Aneke, but Ladapo took it on from him, steadied himself, and sent a powerful shot through defenders and the keeper’s outstretched hands into the net. It was the equal of their effort.

The final 30 minutes (including 10 of stoppage time) were all about whether or not we could fashion a winner. The increasing pressure saw the game get edgy, with Lincoln not averse to rolling around on the floor and occasional handbags to try to break up play. Ramsay went down with what seemed to be cramp but may have turned into something else and was replaced by Edun, with Watson switching back to the right side. He was to be instrumental in the closing stages as we focused on getting balls into the box (usually too close to their keeper).

Right at the last we finally created the opening that might have won the game. The ball broke inside the box for Edun to be through on goal, albeit from a narrowish angle. But their keeper spread himself and made the save, and with that the points were shared.

It was far from pretty but at least with the reinforcements in the second half we overpowered them and came close to winning the game. That can’t gloss over a weak first-half display, during which Lincoln were seldom threatened and of course took the lead. What did we learn from that? That May needs to rediscover his zest and focus his energy on putting the ball in the net. That the experiment of asking Anderson to play an advanced role, presumably to provide energy and press high up, didn’t really work (not his fault). If the opposition is happy to sit behind the ball you need more guile, or pace down the flanks, to open them up. That Ramsay seems a breath of fresh air, hopefully he does not need a spell on the sidelines. And of course that Aneke, for however long he can spend on the pitch, changes our attacking threat.

We wanted/needed four or six points from the last two games. We got one. So be it. We know what’s coming up now: away at Bolton, home to Portsmouth, away at Derby. For sure we’ll be the underdog in each of the games and getting anything out of them will be a bonus. But hell, they aren’t supermen! Jones and his team will need to come up with plans for each of the games to try to counter the opposition’s main threats, perhaps looking to just stay in games until the later stages when we might be able to hit them with the changes. Wherever we find ourselves in the league at the end of this month, which will be primarily down to the results of others, will be far from the end of the story, so the other imperative is getting minutes into those returning and not picking up fresh serious injuries, since it will be all hands to the deck in March.