Things did change in the second half, not least because we made an enforced change. The not-yet match-fit Tyler Walker came off, with Reeco Hackett, only due to play 30 minutes, coming on. As I said at the top of the piece, it does underline the wafer-thin nature of the squad, something I hope we see resolved over the coming weeks. Still, we started alright, but Bolton were always going to turn the screw, and around 50 minutes, they started to do just that.

You expect, with 20,000 supporters behind them and the range of quality players at their disposal, they’re going to have a spell. Our remit at that moment is to defend hard and defend well, and we had one momentary slip which made it 2-0. Again, a set piece came in, and they scored from the simplest of headers. Mark Kennedy didn’t sound angry post-match, but I’d wager he was. At 2-0, the game was gone, and in truth, had we headed away two corners, it would still have been 0-0. I know, if my grandma had wheels, she’d be a bike and all that, but my point is we hadn’t been carved open at will; we weren’t like a Christmas turkey under the electric knife. Two moments that could and should have been dealt with left us 2-0 down, nothing from open play. I know some people will read that and laugh; Bolton fans (the ones messaging me on Twitter seem like an awful bunch) will take the piss, but I’m sure plenty of you will know what I’m saying. On another day, it’s comfortably 0-0 at that stage. Yes, Bolton had been the better team, but they hadn’t had the sort of chances that would make you think they were three goals better than us.

At 2-0, the game fizzled out again, and for long periods it had a nothing feel to it. Of course, Bolton looked more dangerous, but aside from a Jensen save, I can’t recall a huge amount that they did that had me worried. I certainly didn’t see a third coming, and I wondered if somehow we could find a way to get one back; it might set up a tense finish. It was wishful thinking. TJ got a nosebleed and drove to the edge of the area, perhaps spurning our best chance of 73 minutes. 60 seconds later, Bolton added a third, their only goal from open play. Again, no real complaints, it was a good move that exposed a gap at the back for us, and O’Connor had no choice but to stick a leg out, beating Jensen in the net. 3-0, when in my eyes, 1-0 would have been a fair reflection.

After that, I didn’t feel there was a lot of point in playing on. We weren’t getting any change out of a strong and organised Trotters’ side, and they looked happy not to strain to push forward for more. We had nine minutes added on at the end of the game, but if Will Finnie had blown up on 74 minutes, we could have gone home, not having missed anything. The game was done and dusted at that point, and despite late runouts for Smith and Makama, we could take few positives from the closing stages.

Could we take any positives at all? Of course. Look, I’ll confess, a 3-0 defeat hurts; I hate Lincoln losing. I always used to hate it because losing stings, but I hate it more now because of social media. I utterly despise the usual flurry of rubbish that finds its way onto my timeline, and that’s made defeats even harder to take. I don’t think we played badly; we deserved to lose, but playing like that over the next 45 matches will be enough to take 60+ points. I thought Ethan Hamilton had a strong debut, and Erhahon showed his class in moments as well. I thought House worked hard, and Tyler Walker looked like he’ll be a big asset as well. Lasse had a strong game, TJ too, and despite the own goal, Paudie led well. We were just beaten by a better side, equipped for promotion with players well out of our budget. What if we’d been able to afford Dacres-Cogley on one flank and Williams on the other? We’d be better at what we do. The same goes for the array of forwards – perhaps we might have mustered a shot on target, but we did not. It was as much due to Bolton’s control of the game as it was our own failings.

The saddest thing for me is we’re one game into the season, and it has already started on Twitter or X. People saying that one person is delusional because their opinions differ, asking ‘what game were you watching’ and the like, which I find incredibly condescending. I’m not an arrogant man, but let me just say this (and it will sound arrogant, I know) – some people donate to the site to read my opinion, so whilst it is not always right, nor does it always align with the popular outlook, it must have some value. My apologies if that does sound arrogant, it’s not meant to, but it’s the only retort I have or will offer, to being told I’m delusional.

When the fixtures came out, I felt we’d lose this game. When I did the podcast with Chris this week, I said I felt we’d lose the game. The game has come and gone, and we’ve lost it, and yet it stings. I don’t like to lose, even when it is to a side that is a level above in everything other than division. I don’t like to lose a game 3-0 when I firmly believe 1-0 would have been a fair scoreline. I don’t like football Twitter serving up a Saturday night of smug opposition fans saying things like ‘cry more.’

Yesterday, I was excited about the new season. Nothing has changed, and nothing has happened today that I really didn’t expect, but has been tempered with a dose of reality and recollection of everything that I don’t like about football season. I guess part of me hopes Elon kills Twitter/X and saves me from having to mute my notifications every Saturday between now and May.

Final Page – Bubs’ Gallery