Magic, But Luckily Not That Magic: Chesham United 0-4 Imps

November 5, 2024 Gary FA Cup, Lincoln City, Matches, Reports 0

Taken on what I have recently decided is my rubbish phone camera

What we had to do was come out strong, get a goal and be done with it. I heard someone say, ‘The next goal doesn’t matter because 2-0 is a dangerous scoreline’, but that was wildly inaccurate. A second goal for us would kill the game off. A leveller for them gives them that lift, puts nerves into the Imps players and generally creates a cup tie. I’ve waxed lyrical about how good a cup tie it was everywhere other than the pitch; what I wanted on there was a professional finish.

We got it. The next goal, four minutes after the restart, effectively ended it as a contest. It was a lovely little move, a flick over the top by Freddie, and Jovon raced clear. His run was perfectly timed, and even as the ball sat up a bit awkwardly, he kept his composure to finish with ease. It’s his second in three outings, his first since penning his new deal, and the 13th our four regular out-and-out strikers have scored in all competitions this season. It also means Jovon only needs to score in the EFL Trophy to have the unique honour of bagging in all competitions this season.

Now the game was in the bag; we had a cup tie. The nerves had gone for me, and I could enjoy the occasion. I know that might sound a bit crass, but genuinely I was fearful of the banana skin before Jovon struck. We’ve been defeated by lower-league clubs before, and it’s easy to have a game turned on its head, but at 2-0, I never felt we’d have an issue. We could make a couple of changes, shuffle things about a bit and use this as a great learning game.

We did take complete control as tired Chesham legs began to lose a bit of their spring. Don’t get me wrong – they’re a decent side for their level and I particularly liked Ashley Lodge, who was neat and tidy on the ball. Our lads knew they’d been in a game; this wasn’t a training exercise like some of the EFL Trophy ties. This was proper football, and good game played in a great spirit (no bookings) with plenty of enjoyable moments, such as our third.

It was enjoyable because we scored,  but perhaps not so much from their point of view, as it was a wicked deflection. Of course, it wouldn’t be Lincoln if it wasn’t a set piece, finding its way to McGrandles on the edge of the area. His shot beat their keeper, and the game was done and dusted.

I now wanted two things –  a fourth, so we could say we matched the Stags result, and for Chesham to have something to cheer. That’s not normally me, but I wanted them to have a moment to cling to. A goal? Perhaps, or maybe a penalty, a save, something that they could take away as a positive. I recall going to Arsenal in the FA Cup, all I really have from that is ‘we kept it at 0-0 for 40-odd minutes’. This was their big day and the romantic in me wanted them to have something more to cling to than ‘we kept it to 0-0 until 44 minutes’.

We got our fourth, and it came courtesy of debutant Zane Okoro. He’s been steadily growing in stature in the youth ranks, training with the first team in the summer, and it was a great chance for him to get some minutes when he came on. It wasn’t long before he wrapped things up at 4-0, and everyone went home happy. In fairness, he didn’t get the goal, and he should – there’s a shove in his back as he shapes to shoot which knocks him off balance. A penalty and a red card would have been really harsh on the home side, so the resulting ricochet and goal saved the official from having to make a decision at all.

I did feel a bit for the Chesham players – they did a lap of honour at the end, but many of their new faces had already made their way out of the ground. Their efforts should be applauded – we’re a much better side than we were two years ago, with much better players and a deep squad. We’re on a journey of our own and were far better equipped to navigate this possible slip-up than Chippenham. The home side gave a decent account of themselves; they approached the game in a good way, and the referee had almost nothing to do the entire game. Respect for that.

I have to confess (and you can call me a miserable sod), but I’m a bit embarrassed about fist-pumping after beating Chesham. It was a nice moment for Zane, I get that, and of course Michael did it despite looking a bit embarrassed, but for me, it should have been left at a few waves. I guess the supporters asking for it is enough, but it just felt a bit out of place. There’s one more level between us and them as there was between us and Everton in the League Cup a few years ago, and our fans were incensed at Richarlison’s celebration, yet were happy to ask for a fist pump yesterday.

Yeah, I know, bah humbug and all that.

My moaning is out of place, because we had a lot to celebrate. We’d avoided being the story of the FA Cup first round, which wasn’t going to be easy. We’d seen some good performances – Roughan, Moylan and O’Connor were obvious, but I also thought Darikwa and McKiernan did well. The neutral fans behind me really liked McKiernan, explaining how he looked like a proper footballer. That excites me – I think he’s got the potential to be as skilful and impactful for us as Peter Gain. That’s a massive statement from me, by the way. Right now, Peter Gain is my favourite Lincoln player ever, and I can’t see that changing, but in McKiernan, I see a proper footballer and that’s exciting.

Our reward is a trip to Crawley away –  a bit like winning the lottery and having a tenner taken off you instead of given to you, but hey ho. It’s a chance for revenge for the other week, a chance to right wrongs and, given that the only game they’ve won against a team of any note since August 18th was against us, it is a real chance to progress.

As for Chesham, I now have a soft spot in my heart for them. That always goes one of two ways – I went to Kettering and Northwich in the FA Cup and now dislike both sides (the former quite intensely). Telford and Chesham? I’ll keep an eye out for their results. The Generals are a cracking little outfit, surrounded by good people and a nice vibe. It’s quite exciting that I’ve managed four grounds in nine days and will now have to watch out for them, Borussia Monchengladbach and Viktoria Koln.

But that’s another blog altogether!

Up the Imps


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