We came out in the second half looking just as dangerous as the first and within five minutes I felt we should have had a penalty. Andrade and McCartan, both looking exceptionally dangerous, combined well. The Irishman moved into the area and appeared to be felled by a Cobblers defender,only for referee Graham Salisbury to wave appeals away. A challenge on Akinde in the first half drew some shouts, I thought it was soft, but from my angle we should have got a chance from 12 yards.
McCartan nearly made it 2-0 minutes later again, looking as lively as ever he linked up excellently with Akinde who was again putting in a solid display as the lone striker. Shay fed off him, rounded the keeper but couldn’t slot the ball into the net. City were looking rampant, pushing and probing at will.
The second did come, again Akinde was involved as he knocked down a James Wilson ball for Tom Pett to lash home a wonderful low drive. It was one of those shots that is impossible for a keeper, hard and low with just a slight bend away from his right hand side. As it nestled in the back of the net there was a feeling we’d go on and score four or five, such was our dominance in the game.
That didn’t happen though, Keith Curle’s side found their feet and showed that the early Josh Vickers save hadn’t be a one-off, but a glimpse of what they might be capable of. They grew in stature and got a goal back within three minutes. I praised Josh Vickers for being a great shot stopper 99% of the time, but on 53 minutes we saw the other 1% as a relatively tame effort from Jack Bridge beat him on his right hand post.
That goal fired the visitors up and we began to make sloppy passes and poor choices. Big John drifted out of the game as the Imps became disjointed, but lets not forget this Northampton side had won six of the last seven games. They have been full of confidence and they began to show why. They could have easily levelled on 64 minutes, a looping effort appeared goal bound before Vickers made amends for their goal with a save of genuine world-class quality.
The second half had become a nervy affair, City were in the game but certainly not as confident in possession as the first half. Michael O’Connor was working incredibly hard and both Tom Pett and Shay McCartan culd have extended our lead, but at the other end Northampton looked increasingly capable of getting something from the game. Sam Hoskins, a player I rated in the season opener at Sixfields, looked a danger as did Kevin Van Veen.
It was Van Veen who broke Imps’ hearts with less than ten minutes on the clock, some weak football from City saw them break down the right flank, Bruno losing his man in a rare lapse of concentration. It was a smart turn and finish from the cross, but from a defensive point of view it was a touch naïve. We’d gone from being 2-0 up to drawing 2-2 in a game we should have put to bed in the first 45 minutes. That’s cup football, right?
There should have been nine minutes left for the visitors to hold on for a replay, but somehow we ended up playing for another 18 minutes.
The next ten were uneventful, the board went up for five minutes injury time and many started to make their way towards the exits. Those who did try to beat the traffic missed a typically feisty end to a thrilling game.
Firstly, any notion that Bruno had cost us the second goal was erased by the sort of strike you see once or twice a season, a wonderful rocket that surely claimed to be the pick of the goals. It’s rare to see City score three from open play, especially three of such quality, each one possibly better than the last. A great team goal opened the proceedings, a typically Lincoln goal and pile driver finish put us 2-0 up and Andrade then served up the best of the bunch, making it 3-2.
It might have been harsh on Northampton who deserved something from their organised second-half showing, but over 90 minutes the winner was deserved. Just. There was still time for a bit of controversy though, sub Junior Morais got his marching orders although I must confess I wasn’t watching what he actually did!!
Oddly, ahead of the game I called it as a 3-2 City win. I felt it would be an open game, both sides knowing they weren’t going to lose league points and wanting to give it a go and that led to a good game of football between two committed sides. Keith Curle always builds teams that are organised and work for each other and you can clearly see the improvement from the opening day of the season. They’ll be fine under his careful management and we should be proud at having stopped their fine run of form.
Danny wasn’t happy with the goals we conceded and I can understand why. As much as I’ve praised the Cobblers, we shouldn’t have let either in. The two efforts that did deserve goals brought wonderful saves from Josh Vickers, but the two we did conceded will doubtless be replayed on Monday morning in the privacy of the training ground. There’s always points to develop and us being a bit too easy to break down will be the hot topic, no doubt.
Personally, I think we’re missing Neal Eardley, James Wilson is a good professional but he’s also a centre back. He’s doing very well under the conditions, but he doesn’t have the natural inclination to get wide as Neal does. Kellan Gordon is a winger and I’m not going to hear an argument for him to play right back.
Now we enter a two-week break where hopefully Neal Eardley and Lee Frecklington can get back on the grass and some of those who we’ve been patching up can work towards a recovery.
I wanted to pick a Man of the Match tonight, because I’ve seen Harry Toffolo mentioned as well as Bruno Andrade, but I thought it should have been Shay McCartan. He was exceptional, beating players with ease and unlucky not to bag a brace. That’s harsh on Bozzy and Jason Shackell too, both put in great displays at the back, making it even harder to believe we conceded such soft goals.
We’re in the bag for the next round, bring on Monday evening!
Excellent write up Gary! My concern recently has been the lack of support for John Akinde. Today he had much more. I also thought Shay McCartan was man of the match and by a distance. Have to say though the save from Josh Vickers you refer to was breathtaking! Morais was an idiot. In his frustration he clearly aggressively hauled Tom Pett to the ground after the ref blew. Whilst I thought we should have had a pen when Shay was bundled over in the are I thought the ref was excellent. Consistent and considered. Added to the game by letting it flow.
Cobblers fan here in peace. I must say how refreshing it is to read such an unbiased account of a game from an opposition fan. For what it is worth all our fans and the paper write-up were saying how outstanding your lad McCartan was today. All the best for the rest if the season, i can definitely see you staying in the top 3
Hello Joe, thanks for your comments. I do try to be objective when I can. It’s all too easy to see things through rose-tinted glasses. I’ve liked you boys since the opening day, you’re not far away. I sense a title challenge next season.
Difficult to disagree on this game as most things were quite clear to see. MacCartan was clearly MoM in my eyes and certainly should have had a penalty as well.
I do however think describing Wilson as ‘functional’ is harsh. We all know he’s not Neal Eardley, but yesterday was one of his best games. He was sound defensively and got forward much more and to much greater effect than in recent games. His link ups with Harry were much better and it was his pass to Akinde that set up Pett’s goal. He is another player who just seems to have a lot of doubters but yesterday was possibly one of his best games in a Lincoln shirt …. so fair play to him!
Thanks for another well-informed analysis of the match, Gary. As a lifelong Imps fan (first match was back in 1955) now living in New Zealand I welcome these measured insights into the games.
Really appreciate the kind comments, thank you.