I’ll level with you early – I don’t feel festive at all. I’m not sure what it is, but this year, the magic of the Christmas season has not been sprinkled over me yet.
That said, yesterday’s win at the Bank has at least made me feel happier, and a little more inclined to try and let my hair down. Let’s be honest, without a win in the league since Halloween, a few people were getting jittery. I felt we were on the right lines, and with the cup wins, our record doesn’t look awful, but games need winning. We’ve been playing well, but it’s just not quite clicked. Yesterday, it clicked.
I’m going to get this out early as well – of the other 23 clubs in our division, this is probably the one game where I truly feel for our opponents. Reading were awful yesterday, and usually I’d revel in that, but I can’t. The whole club has been fighting a battle that’s about much more than points and games, and each time it looks like they’re getting up, they’re stamped back down. No summer signings, no change of ownership despite it seemingly being inevitable, and now no Ruben Selles. They felt to me like a boxer that’s just been punched to the canvas so many times that they’re finally not going to get back up. I take massive pleasure in Lincoln City wins, but I don’t want to start waxing lyrical about us before praising the spirit of the supporters who followed the Royals yesterday. Genuinely, I hope there’s soon light at the end of their long, dark tunnel.
That said, they started the day in the top six, and we did not, and that’s because (up until yesterday, at least) they’re a decent side. We hadn’t beaten them since 1986 and hadn’t beaten them at home since John Fashanu scored for us to kickstart a 5-1 win in 1984. Pre-game, I did say I felt we’d win because, in recent weeks, we’ve been good, in my opinion. With an unchanged team from Huddersfield, I felt we’d be able to control things as we did in the first half there and hopefully nick a goal or two, setting up a nice, easy second 45.
There are a lot of factors at play during a football game, and I will get another out before we start, match referee Adam Herczeg. I haven’t had time to do my usual referee piece recently, but if I had, I’d have pointed out we hadn’t conceded a goal when he’s officiated league games of ours – he had Cambridge away this season (2-0) and Wycombe at home last season (3-0). From a Lincoln City perspective, I thought he had a decent game yesterday, but I’m absolutely convinced Reading supporters will not agree. He’s worth mentioning at this stage, before we really get stuck in.
Talking of getting stuck in, that’s exactly what we did early doors. There was a vibrancy to our play, a shot flashed over the bar from distance and just a general feeling that we were bang up for the game. Reeco Hackett has arrived on the scene this season after his early injury issues, and he looks every inch like the player he did last season. When he’s on form, he takes players on, gets in behind, and working with Sean Roughan, we looked really threatening on the flank. The same can be said on the other side, with a bullish Jovon Makama catching the eye once again with his tenacity and strength. Those first few minutes completely settled any nerves I had – this was the Lincoln we saw for the first 45 last week, and you can’t ask for more.
When we took the lead, it wasn’t really a surprise. Reading look like a side who have just had enough, and all we needed to do was circle like vultures, waiting to pull the meat from the carcass. The first swoop came courtesy of Roughan, who, in my opinion, is our most underrated player. His long throw was worked back out, resulting in a wonderful cross for McGrandles. His header was well saved by the overworked Joel Pereira, who was left helpless as Bailey Cadamarteri stabbed home the loose ball. Three in three for the Sheffield Wednesday man, and he’s gone from being a peripheral figure to a central part of our attacking plan. In fairness, it was the sort of reactive finishing we’ve been missing, the ‘fox in the box’ awareness of (dare I say it) a 15-20 goal a-season striker.
We continued to dominate, perhaps losing our way a little in the middle of the half, but never looking in any danger at all. I felt completely comfortable until the first of two huge moments. Reading, just creeping into things a little, seized on an error in our backline, and Sam Smith seemingly went through on goal. Roughan, who should have conceded a penalty against Huddersfield but fortuitously did not, should have had a penalty given against him, but fortuitously did not. Another ref on another day 100% points to the spot, no doubt. I’ve watched it back a couple of times, and it looks like a push on the shoulder of Sam Smith. Did Smith go down too easily? That would even be harsh because if you’re a striker and you’re pushed in the area, you go down. When your luck isn’t in, it’s really not in and Reading fans will have felt that.
Not long after, Adam Herczeg had another big decision, and he got it right. Young Louie Holzman, starting only his second league game for the Royals, lost Ben House, but stopped him going one-on-one by bringing him down. It was clumsy, perhaps even not intentional, but it was absolutely a red card. When your luck isn’t in, etc.
We didn’t score the free kick, but we did try a routine which I didn’t pick up on at the time. Earlier in the game we’d had one in the same position, and it seemed like a Montsma shot, pure and simple. However, having watched the highlights back, we positioned two players on the route the ball would take from Montsma to the goal. He then drills his effort at those players, who peel away, leaving a gap. On both occasions, Pereira saved, but it was a nice routine nonetheless. I wonder if we might try it again in the coming weeks.
That concluded a first half upon which the sun shone favourably on Lincoln City. One nil up, one man up and on the right side of both big referee decisions. All that remained was for us to see out the game, grab another goal and we can all go home for Christmas happy.
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