Not All About The Conditions

The conditions enable us to draw a veil over this one. Take the point and move on, focus on the clean sheet (in truth both defences were on top through the game), appreciate that a battling goalless draw at Lincoln compares favourably with being given a footballing lesson in a home defeat to Crawley Town (no disrespect intended). That said, both teams managed to serve up a display so full of errors on the ball that not all of it could be dismissed as a result of the severe – and apparently unpredictable – wind. This was a contest between two teams currently going nowhere. It would have been a mercy if after say an hour the ref had called together the two captains and said “good effort lads, well done, now let’s call it a day at 0-0”.

Over the game there were apparently two goalkeeper saves, one for either side, and neither were real chances or involved the keeper breaking sweat. The moments which almost broke the deadlock were really occasional quality crosses whipped in and failed to find an end-product. Given the line-ups and formation there seemed the possibility that space and possible defensive frailties on our right side/their left side might produce a goal, but either the pass was defective or the space not exploited. Otherwise it was competitive, long on effort, very short on quality.

Our team produced a few surprises. Coventry apparently picked up a knock and wasn’t available, but Docherty and Berry were back from suspensions and Jones and Kanu from their injuries. In the event we switched to a 3-5-2 for the start, with Jones back in alongside Mitchell and Gillesphey, with Campbell(T) asked to play wing-back with Edwards on the other side, Edmonds-Green dropping to the bench. In midfield Docherty came in to replace Coventry and Anderson replaced Campbell(A), along with Taylor. Up front Ahadme was paired with Kanu, reward for their midweek combination for our equaliser, with Leaburn and Godden both moving to the bench. The subs line-up for once appeared balanced, with Edmonds-Green, Laqeretabua and Small options for defence, Campbell(A) and Berry for midfield, and Leaburn and Godden up front – until you realised there was no back-up goalkeeper. Why on earth take that risk?

Lincoln had much the better of the opening spell, with us looking rather edgy in defence. But they failed to capitalise and as the half progressed we came much more into it, having probably our best spell of the game before the break as in contrast to recent performances we refrained from hoofing the ball forward at the first available opportunity. Campbell(T) was set up well but blazed well over from the edge of the area rather than taking on his man, then a Docherty cross was the first to go across the face of the goal without being touched home, and shorts from Anderson and Docherty went wide.

That was probably as good as it got in terms of football as the second half morphed into a extended period of both sides giving the ball away tamely then fighting like terriers to win it back. After the hour we swapped our front two, with Leaburn and Godden coming on, and later Small and Campbell(A) were introduced for Edwards and Anderson, with no change to formation. Leaburn did find Campbell(T) well on the right and his decent ball in was met first by Campbell(A) but he steered it wide. Lincoln had their occasional moments too, but snatched at anything inside the box or, like us, failed to get on the end of decent crosses. Right at the end we had a possible opening as Leaburn laid it off to Godden who took one touch and instead of pulling the trigger took another and then ran into a defender. The penalty appeals were suitably muted.

After just three minutes of stoppage time it was thankfully all over. As the clock ticked down it had become one of those games where you hope to nick something but desperately don’t want to lose the game. With hindsight the danger for either side was slight.

In terms of league position, hopes, expectations, the game changed nothing for either side. For us two home games beckon, against Orient on Tuesday night and Mansfield on Saturday. Every reason to expect both to be close games, we simply don’t score enough to point in another direction. But these games, together with the three which follow before new year, are of no little importance as decisions are taken ahead of the January transfer window. Do the owners think in terms of signings to try to drive a push for a top-six place, or pull in the horns and label the season as one in a rebuilding process (ie we stay out of the relegation area and that’s it). To make a good case for the former we surely need to be closer to the top six than we are at the moment (an eight-points gap as things stand).