Sometimes, I’m rubbing my dog’s belly on the sofa and I find this one spot that is just perfect. His little leg starts kicking out and you know right there, that’s the sweet spot.
It’s the same with my Spaghetti Bolognese. I’m not one for ‘500ml’ of this or ‘a tablespoon’ of that. I’m a guestimater, it’s a pouring of this, a couple of dabs of that. Sure, it means every one I make is a little different, but sometimes, everything is just right, I hit the sweet spot and, as I have a little taste before serving, I can safely say, ‘Now we’re cooking on gas’,
It’s a lie, we don’t have gas where I live, we on electric, but let’s just pretend.
That was Lincoln City yesterday. Our 5-0 win against the Gas was, in my opinion, the most comprehensive win since Shrewsbury last season. I know we beat Barnsley, the Gas and Cambridge on that little run, but for me, the win against Shrewsbury a few weeks earlier was one in which we showed absolute control for 90 minutes, front to back, and looked like we could have scored six or seven.
Bold statement coming up – I think we should have won yesterday by seven or eight. I’ve gone back over the stats and the last time we had 11 or more shots on target was against Cambridge United, but when we won 5-1 there in 2021. We were outstanding yesterday, and the switch in formation has certainly helped.
I saw a post on social media (yeah, I ventured on last night, odd that, isn’t it?) which said something like ‘nice the manager has finally figured out Hackett’s best position after two years’ or something like that. I can’t remember who it was, but I’m sure it was the same person who credited Mark Kennedy for swapping Lasse to a wing back in March, after freezing him out for much of the season.
Anyway, I’m not here to argue with people, I want to enjoy the wins and accept there will be losses, that’s football. This wasn’t any win, this was a comprehensive victory that I think has been coming. A couple of little things have fallen in to place and it’s worth looking at those before moving on.
Firstly, Jovon Makama out wide. We saw it against Reading and he massacred their young full back, with the Jovon-knockers saying it’s because he was up against kids. Let me tell you right now: there won’t be a team in League One who have us on their fixture list this season that isn’t worried about Jovon. The switch out wide has played right into his strengths, that perfect blend of pace and power. I have, in the past, questioned his finishing, but yesterday he wasn’t just good, he was exceptionally good. It feels to me like he’s suddenly found his calling on the flank, and as such, the confidence has flooded back into a young man who genuinely does have the world at his feet.
There’s Reeco as well. I’ve felt Reeco has been inconsistent at times, perhaps more so because he’s played wing back than anything. With the 4-2-3-1, similar to the style we played under Appleton in the first season, Reeco has a free role in behind and it really works well. Chris and I agreed on the way home we both love a skilful number ten, and that’s Reeco. It’s also Jack Moylan and, when he’s advanced, maybe Tom Bayliss as well. After a couple of years of 3-5-2, I am beginning to think it might be a permanent shift we’re seeing, and I’m right behind it.
It’s all facilitated by one important factor – James Collins. He’s the striker we’ve been crying out for, not just for a season or two but for years. Sure, he’s 34, but there’s nothing veteran about him. It’s not just his finishing (five in 11, the same record Joe Taylor had after 11 games), but his general driving of standards. The way he approaches the game is just high-end, and if he doesn’t get a ball where he wants it, he will let a teammate know. It’s not in the petulant, Maguire or Mandroiu manner either, because he’s just as likely to have acknowledged a good cross or pass. Next season, if he stays injury-free, he gets 15-20 goals for us, no issues.
They’re not the only players who were excellent yesterday, but I don’t want to go through each one, as there’s a match to write up.
It took us until 31 minutes to score, but at no point did I feel we wouldn’t. There was a je ne sais quoi to our play that you couldn’t quite place. The movement was dynamic, the passing was invasive and probing, and the runs were creative. Sure, we still went back sometimes, and we went long as well, but it felt more coordinated than in some recent weeks. Michael Skubala has said that we’ve been passive, and he couldn’t understand it, and yesterday I felt we were the opposite. I liked pretty much everything about those first 35 minutes, but one move involving Reeco and Tom Bayliss drew a save from Jed Ward in the Gas goal. He impressed me, the 21-year-old keeper, making a string of saves.
Then, the moment that really lit the gas under the Imps performance. Paudie clears the ball, but rather than a punt, it’s a deliberate pass that splits the Gas midfield like an axe through a log. Jovon takes the ball out wide, and even at this stage, he’s terrifying Swinkles and Mola. He easily holds off the latter as the former looks to block the crossing option. Then, to the surprise of everyone on the ground, especially Jed Ward, instead of the cross, our winger smashed the ball into the roof of the net from a tight angle.
I don’t know what it is about certain players I want to do well. I remember wanting Lasse to be good, even when he was struggling, and I felt the same about Hakeeb Adelakun. It’s as if there are some players I get a vibe from that they deserve to be loved and perhaps don’t always get that back. Sean Roughan is one, but Jovon is exactly the same. If Tom Bayliss rattles that home, or Reeco Hackett, I celebrate a good goal. When it’s Jovon, I don’t scream ‘yes’ or whatever I normally shout when a goal goes in, my first thought is ‘yes Jovon’. I perhaps should have saved some of that joy as there was more to come.
It should have been 2-0 before the break, which is being greedy with hindsight. McGrandles has missed the chance, but in fairness to the Scot, he created it as well with a lovely one-two exchange with Collins. As McGrandles fired his shot into Ward, Collins was flapping his arms like a duck trying to take off, clearly agitated that he wasn’t going to get a chance to kill the Gas before the break. The slightly more reserved Dom Jeffries, impressive again on the left, was also in a good position.
Now, I’ve taken a positive from this – six weeks ago, such was the nervousness around the ground; it would have been likely McGrandles would have squared it, fearful of missing. Today, perhaps after thrashing Crawley and putting goals past Leyton Orient and Barnsley, there’s a little more confidence in front of goal, a little more desire to (and I use this phrase from someone who sits in front of me) ‘just have a f*cking go’.
That said, when they do ‘have a go’ and miss, they get stick. McGrandles was one person who fans had a little moan about at half time around me, and, as I pointed out, he was just as good as everyone (bar Jovon, who was special) in red and white. The difference is people are looking for a McGrandles misplaced pass because he’s been weaker in recent weeks. Yesterday, he and Bayliss controlled the midfield area well, and credit to them for that.
Oooh, look at me, 1330 words in and only just up to half time. If you read this on the toilet, remember to shuffle your legs so they don’t go dead, you may still be here sometime.
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