If the first half brought little joy for fans and neutrals alike, then the second half was the polar opposite. Within just a few minutes, City had sounded the excitement klaxon. A wonderful ball from Bramall found Scully, who should probably have done better than he did.
The Imps didn’t have to rue the missed chance for long. Rogers pressured McEachran as MK played out from the back, winning the ball confidently. He then switched a lovely ball through the defence, splitting them like a warm knife through soft cheese, leaving Johnson to lift a lofted finish over the keeper.
With that, the Dons imploded, and their possession-based football began to look fruitless and fragile. On 52 minutes the Imps launched an attack in numbers. From the right Scully found Morton, he laid it off to Rogers who in turn laid it off to Johnson. He strode in from the angle on the right-hand side and finished with aplomb for 2-0. Within seven second half minutes, the game had gone from sterile to teeming with life.
The visitors made a double change, Dan Harvie one of the players coming on for McEachran who was probably at fault partly for the first goal. Within seconds, the sub was at fault himself. Johnson was the creator, of sorts, getting away down the right and lifting a teasing cross into the area. Harvie had hold of Rogers and as the Manchester City man tried to wriggle free, the infringement was spotted. Bobby Madley had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.
William Robertson scored a six-minute hat-trick for City in 1929 (thanks Gary Parle for that), with Clive Ford doing the same in 1967. Had the first penalty from Johnson been allowed to stand, his hattrick would have stood at around nine minutes. There was never any doubt as to who was getting the chance from 12-yards, he had the ball on the spot ready and finished with aplomb. Scully had timed his run badly though, and encroached in the area, so a retake was ordered. That puts Johnson’s hattrick at eleven minutes, but a hattrick it was as he stroked the ball home with consummate coolness.
After that City went into preparation mode for the weekend’s encounter with Bristol Rovers. TJ Eyoma came on for Adam Jackson, but little changed. MK still had their possession, but rarely looked like putting the ball in the net. Instead, it was the Imps looking to improve the goal difference, with a decent chance on 66 minutes.
Morton, who ploughed something of a lone furrow up top at times, chased a ball into a blind alley and saw it cleared. It fell to Tayo Edun, who fed Morton in, for a cross to be nodded behind for a corner. For the first time all evening, the corner even caused panic, dropping invitingly on the edge of the six-yard box before being hacked clear. The visitors were bloodied and on the ropes, whilst City grew in confidence.
Johnson’s night ended on 66 minutes. It could have ended on 20 minutes, MK will wish it had, but it will be the eleven minutes after half time which will be talked about most. He got rapturous applause, even from an empty stadium, and Harry Anderson moved onto 201 outings.
On 71 minutes the game was put to bed, tucked in and kissed goodnight. MK’s defence once again folded like a bad poker hand, with Rogers coming away with the ball. He looked to open his legs but was scythed down as he moved towards goal. From the left-hand channel, 20-yards out, the Imps had a free-kick and whilst a right-footer should have been over it, Bramall stepped up instead. Showing frankly awesome technique, he curled it left-footed around the wall and against the post, with the rebound bouncing off the keeper’s back and in. Regan Poole slammed it home from close range to make sure, so the dubious goals panel at least have something in their inbox tomorrow.
After that, the game petered out. MK kept passing sideways and looking for a chance, we brought Walsh and Bramall off for Montsma and Jones to save some legs. Not that it mattered, the game was over and done with long before Mr Madley blew on his whistle to finally put MK out of their misery, in a game that their fan Jonathan Harries described as their ‘worst performance of the season’, Delighted it came against us, thank you for that.
It will be hard to look beyond Johnson for Man of the Match, for obvious reasons, but McGrandles, Edun, Bramall and Walsh all turned in strong performances as well. I’m such a huge Tayo fan, he’s grown into a fine player this season, so confident in possession and with great close control. I think Bramall’s contribution was excellent this evening, and I’ve no doubt having Joe Walsh just to his right will help him from a defensive point of view. In terms of an attacking threat, he turns average balls into good ones with his electric pace. He’s so fast, he could outrun my car over the first 20 yards or so, and as he works on his final ball, hell go from an exciting prospect to a first-team favourite.
We’ve been here before, a big win, a confident performance and lots of hope, but isn’t it nice to finally have something to feel great about. Blackpool and Portsmouth drew, Sunderland and Ipswich lost, and we won. Have we put our poor form behind us, and are we the team finding our feet at just the right time? Possibly, we’ll see, but what I do know is anyone saying that we need to ride these next few matches out, that it is all about next season, is missing what is right in front of their nose. We might be in a play-off battle now, but rest assured we are in the battle, we are well-placed to be involved once again and if we get players back and can keep the form going, who knows?
The season ain’t over yet chaps (and ladies), hold on to your hats.
Brennan Johnson Hat Trick Facts
Fastest in the EFL since the war (joint with Clive Ford)
First since Lee Angol at Braintree in 2016/17
First at Sincil Bank since Jonny Margetts against North Ferriby in 2016/17
First in the EFL since Ashley Grimes, away at Stockport, 2010/11
First at Sincil Bank in the league since Jamie Forrester v Rochdale, 2006/07
First in the third tier at Sincil Bank since John Thomas v Port Vale 83/84
(Thanks again to Gary Parle for some of those stats!)
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