The second half saw MK change their approach at first, looking to get in our faces a bit, and we didn’t really react to that. TJ Eyoma’s early injury definitely knocked us – if he isn’t fit for Saturday, that will be four quality League One centre backs injured or suspended for the game. It meant Lasse coming on at right wing back, which filled me with dread. I’ve seen him there twice, both times against Shrewsbury, and he was awful. Today? I might be going overboard, but I thought he was outstanding.
However, the change didn’t do us any favours, and MK definitely began to build up a head of steam. They looked more dangerous coming forward, and with Holland and Devoy coming on, their emphasis shifted a bit. They might be in the bottom four, but I would be really surprised if they’re still there come May. They’ve got quality running through the squad, and looking at their next four fixtures, I think they’ll grab six or seven points. Believe me, there have been some games this season which you look back on with hindsight at see two points dropped – after 46 matches and with a bit of clarity, I think this one will be a case of a fair point against a good side underachieving.
Anyway, they had their chances, Will Grigg drawing a good save from Rushworth and a free kick rippling the top of the net, but in truth, I thought they’d had their day once Ben House came on. He was industrious, and if we could find another like him we’d be laughing. With him on, the whole forward line looks better, in my opinion, and I felt we edged back into the game after that.
I keep hearing how turgid we were, but in the latter stages, we had a few good chances – just because the shot didn’t get off doesn’t mean we didn’t create. There was Mandroiu, who hit the post after being anonymous for 15 minutes. Harry Boyes, who I thought had a tough evening on the ball, had a golden chance to head at goal but fluffed his lines. Ted Bishop was served up with a good chance to get a shot off but miskicked, and Diamond sparked a break but greedily fired high and wide rather than feed the ball out wide. We had opportunities to get a second, both before and after their equaliser.
I didn’t feel they’d get their goal. Up until 75 minutes, sure, I could see it coming, but with a minute to go from a corner? I wasn’t worried. In fact, I’d committed the cardinal sin of checking the league table – I’d got the webpage open as the corner came in. It’s a freak goal as well, a half-shot which balloons up into the air off Mandroiu and into the net. What’s really ironic is there were shades of their third against us on Boxing Day 2021, when a shot that wasn’t any trouble took a huge deflection to beat our keeper. Once again, we’ve been done by a deflected potshot.
In fairness, MK were the better side in the second half, and a draw is perhaps the fairest result. Of course, it was tough to take, and of course, we have trouble wrapping games up. I’m not going to come on here and slate a performance which I think wasn’t too bad. I thought we controlled the game well in the first period, but needed a little more adventure. If we’d gone 2-0 up (which we didn’t), we would likely have been talking about three points. If Mandroiu’s shot had been an inch the other way, we’d be crowing about a home victory. That’s fine margins, but I’d rather be sitting on a point and talking about fine margins, than the stream of 1-0 defeats we suffered at home last season. Seriously, there are some short memories out there.
After their goal things finally got a bit heated; Sean Roughan looked to wander across Leko’s path as MK tried to break, with Leko then kicking out in retaliation. I’m pretty sure if referee Seb Stockbridge saw the kick, he’d have flashed a red, especially given Leko’s reaction towards House afterwards. I was surprised to see Stockbridge in charge – Martin Coy was listed on the EFL website, but to be fair, he had a decent game. There wasn’t a lot for him to get involved in, and whilst the big decision would have gone another way, it didn’t really change anything.
Once again, we’re at the glass-half-full, glass-half-empty argument. Is eight games undefeated, 14th in the table a positive thing? Or is just three wins in 101 days a cause for concern? Personally, I’ve been more concerned, like the same time last season, when we had fewer points from more games or when we were perilously close to the bottom four and nervously looking over our shoulders. I see unbeaten at home as a building block and the current run as a solid if unspectacular method of ensuring a fifth season in the third tier (which will level the longest period we’ve spent in the third tier for 60 years). Sadly, some do not, and that’s their prerogative. I shall not be on social media for a day or two, because there are some takes on Lincoln’s current form that feel so far removed from reality or reason that I might end up biting at things I shouldn’t. I wouldn’t want it to look like people can’t have an opinion; it’s just some of the more vocal opinions are not I want to engage with.
Overall, I felt we were alright tonight. Carl Rushworth was again impeccable. Paudie O’Connor stood out, Roughan and Poole looked solid, Erhahon and Bishop certainly had a strong first half, whilst House coming on was breath of fresh air. There’s a strong case for starting Shodipo and Mandroiu or Vernam on either side of House on Saturday, and I really hope Eyoma comes through fit, or maybe we see Jackson back. Remember, Matty Virtue might be in contention as well, another string to our bow.
We’re a bit depleted, and we’re definitely lacking spark up top at times, but we’re so much better off than we were 12 months ago. This performance was not like Saturday – MK are a team of better players suffering a lull, rather than the struggling relegation fodder that Forest Green come across as. They’ll go on a run now (MK, not FGR) and we’ll look back and think this wasn’t all that terrible after all.
I do have a little bit of advice – if the current situation (14th in League One and on for a second-highest finish in the Football League since 1984 (14th, 61 points back then) frustrates you, then maybe try to grab some perspective. It’s not perfect, I admit that, and there’s work to do, 100%. However, if we keep picking up the same amount of points per game between now and May as we have all season, this will be our most successful campaign in terms of league finish in just under 40 years, bar the Covid-season anomaly. Surely, whilst we’re only part of the way through the journey, that’s worth having a bit of patience with, isn’t it? After all, many of you predicted we’d be relegated or be bottom six (as did I, by the way), and we’re looking at comfortably exceeding those expectations.
And by the way, eight unbeaten in the league and unbeaten at home in 325 days (and counting) is cause for positivity, even if it doesn’t feel that way as you go to bed tonight thinking about another two points dropped.
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