19 years ago, I returned from a game at the bank full of elation, having seen the mighty Imps swat aside Crewe Alexandra in the League Cup.
A lot has happened since then: wars, governments rising and falling, social media taking over the world, and my beard going a bit grey. One thing that has not happened is another home win in the League Cup, and it will be (around) 365 days before we get a chance to put that particular issue to bed, as once again, we’ve fallen short at home.
Fallen short is harsh – I’ve seen us lose to Everton, Liverpool and West Ham, to name but three in that time, but tonight, it was Harrogate Town who ended our interest early. There’s no disputing the outcome either – the team that deserved the win got it, and that could really be the end of it. However, I’d be doing us all an injustice if I wound up my piece there and was done with it, wouldn’t I?
The team selection was hugely interesting and I want to make a point about it. Michael Skubala put out a team he felt could win the match, I get that, but we certainly rotated. I counted eight changes from Saturday (Wickens, Montsma, Hamer, Jeffries, Benn, Draper, Moylan and Street). Of those, only two had started 50 League One matches or more. While we had a team out to beat Harrogate and should have done, we had a reserve side on display in the main. When you then factor in we were missing McGrandles, Hamilton and Hackett, which would make two, if not three of Saturday’s side reserve players as well, it was very much treated like the EFL Trophy. The difference was the outcome, the XI on the pitch, were (in my opinion) the sort of quality that should still beat a League Two side.
I also feel my perception of Harrogate has been skewed by the friendly, where they were really poor. I had us down to win 3-0, and nothing in the early exchanges had me thinking otherwise. I know the result and the second half will skew the first, but I thought we were really comfortable in those opening exchanges. We showed some neat passages of play, and Jack Moylan picked up some nice spaces in front of the area. Ethan Erhahon strolled effortlessly through the first 45 with complete control, and we delivered lots of balls into the box.
I felt Dom Jeffries started well on the left, hooking up nicely with Draper on the left side of the forward line, and Moylan picking up the spaces. I know they’re three unlikely to play this weekend, but it felt to me like those three had grasped the patterns of play they’d practiced on the training ground. On the other side, Rob Street and Jay Benn perhaps weren’t quite as effective, but with JJ McKiernan working hard, it wasn’t all too obvious.
I suppose the biggest complaint is that we didn’t create much in terms of clear cut chances. On the club’s official highlights, it’s a Jeacock save and Montsma block that get the air time, but we were a threat, just not quite gelling at the final moment. Much of the focus after the game was around decision-making, but for me, that wasn’t an issue in the first half. Harrogate actually defended well; they sat deep, they dug in and they sought to hit us on the break. We looked susceptible when they pulled it off, and needed a few tackles to save us at time – one from O’Connor really jumps out.
However, at no point in the opening 45 did I think we were going to lose the game. I felt we were creative until the final moment, I felt in McKiernan and Moylan we had game changers and I believed if Draper got half a chance, he’s score. Those three stood out for me in the forward areas, whereas at the back Montsma slotted back in with ease, not even looking a little ring rusty. One moment was pure ‘Montsma’ a headed through ball which I think looked for McKiernan and set the youngster free. There’s an elegance and grace to what Montsma does, but I confess, every tackle, every time he went for a header, I grimaced, fearing seeing him go down. He could make that right side centre back position his own if he keeps improving his fitness and building strength.
Harrogate did have the better clear chances until the stroke of half time, when we somehow failed to score. Freddie I think ended up scooping the ball over from two yards out, but there was real panic in the Harrogate defence. We’d got numbers in there, delivered a good ball and if we’d scored, I have zero doubt we’d have been in the bag for the next round right now, celebrating that first home League Cup win in 19 years. We didn’t.
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