Whilst the first half was lacklustre, there was more in the second half for City, but not the one thing we needed, a goal. The opening chance of the half fell to Daniel Udoh, his strike was cleared by Lewis Montsma. That was almost the sum of Shrewsbury’s intentions as an attacking force, as they defended stoically and strongly against what was a laboured and pedestrian Lincoln side.
Brennan Johnson struck a shot over the bar not long after the restart, with referee Craig Hicks then taking centre stage. He hadn’t controlled the game in the first half and he turned down two penalty shouts in a matter of seconds. Tom Hopper appeared to have been felled by the keeper, who maybe got a touch on the ball first, but then Eyoma looked to be taken down as the ball broke loose. Instead, a free kick was given against the on-loan Spurs man. Remy Howarth, who wasn’t far from being my Man of the Match, hit the post on 59 minutes after Jorge Grant had worked a lovely ball across the field. After another decent passage of play, Johnson got loose to the attacking right but fired into the side netting from an acute angle.
Each bit of good play was punctuated by long periods of nothingness, game management from Shrewsbury which they did well and rather slow build up from City. Too often the ball came across the front of the 18-yard area with players seemingly reticent to shoot. When one did, it was defender TJ Eyoma who sent the ball high into the night sky. On 74 minutes it looked like Wigan Mk II as Joe Walsh was crudely felled on the edge of the area. Up stepped the golden boy, Mr Grant, only to curl his free kick straight into the wall. At that moment it felt like we were destined to get nothing. Being honest, it felt like than the minute they scored their goal.
A snapshot from Whalley reminded us that Salop were still a side to keep an eye out for, but it really wouldn’t have mattered if it had gone in, because it was not City’s night at all. On 77 minutes Lewis Montsma went down in the area looking for a penalty. Michael Hortin thought it would have been soft, but having watched the replay back, three times, the defender looks to be kicked on the back of the leg as he chases the ball. Still, thems the breaks.
The final ten minutes saw Johnson and Howarth both have shots blocked, but we could still be playing tomorrow morning as we wouldn’t have scored. The result saw City fall out of the automatic promotion spots and into the top six, a position still to be proud of. That said, it could and should have been so much more against a Shrewsbury side who only threatened when we gifted them a chance and whose keeper we never really tested, bar the Montsma chance in the first half.
I was very surprised we didn’t look to freshen it up in the second period – Robbie Gotts and Zack Elbouzedi have both had good outings in recent weeks and if we are looking to preserve players for the hectic schedule, surely the odd change later on might have gone down well? I know I am a layman and I don’t see the lads each week on the training ground, but I felt we needed something different from around 60 minutes. That said, much of our decent play came after the hour mark, but we just couldn’t score.
I don’t want to moan too much and seeing as I am in an utterly foul mood, I am going to call it there. I may write more tomorrow when I don’t feel so angry. I’m not sure what has annoyed me more – the referee bottling a couple of big decisions or the fact we created lots of opportunity around the area, but rarely and an actual opportunity. What I mean by that is we had lots of possession 20 yards from goal, but few chances that looked like going in. In terms of the referee, twice we saw bookable challenges go unpunished by players who had already been booked. The referee wasn’t the reason we lost the game, but to the same end, he might just have been the reason we didn’t win it. There were three or four penalty shouts and even with my rose-tinted glasses off, I think the handball in the first half and the foul on Eyoma after Hopper had been brought down by the keeper, were both spot kicks. If we get given them, we win. You can’t rely on those moments, but when there are four in a game you like to think maybe, just maybe, you get one.
I disagreed with Radio Lincolnshire’s Man of the Match, which is unlike me. Yes, Scully looked busy but I didn’t feel he warranted the top accolade. For me, he’s great centrally in a free role, but as a wide player he drifts too often, leaving Tom Hopper coming out wide. Sadly, for Tom, he was ineffective too and not one of the chances I’ve written about fell to our striker. If I had to pick a Man of the Match I’d possibly go for Howarth, who looked composed and direct, or Edun who I felt attacked well from full-back. I could argue Tayo didn’t move the ball quickly enough at times, but you can only move the ball quickly if there are movement and space, which there wasn’t. Maybe that was a credit to Shrewsbury, but if teams have found a blueprint to beat us, then we need to find a plan B. I think that might only come with a couple of new faces to shake things up, offering us something more. An aerial presence in the attacking 18-yard box would be a super start.
It’s been a tough few days and the lads will dust themselves down for Saturday, whilst I will feel down that in two winnable matches, we have no goals to show for our endeavour at all. Those injuries, Bridcutt, McGrandles and Morton, do look to be affecting us badly. The sooner one or two make it back, the better we’ll be all around.
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