We’re moving into spring, and for the sixth season in a row, we look like we’re going to secure our League One status.
When people say the season is in danger of petering out, they’re right. We’re not going up, and we’re not going down, and in reality, there’s an achievement in there. It doesn’t matter what rhetoric is rolled out between now and Wrexham on the final day; it is impossible not to let the season peter out. There’s little to play for and yet six of the eight sides we have to face probably do still have something to play for.
You know what that makes us? The side note. We’re the team that form part of the narrative, but we won’t be the protagonist in any of these stories. We’re the faceless opposition Stockport might need to beat to get a play-off spot, the villains looking to visit The Valley and sit in to dent Charlton’s hopes. We’re filler now, and while the coaching staff and players will certainly not treat the rest of the season like that, it is a fact.
I got a real sense of that yesterday around the ground. Not apathy, that would be wrong, but a relaxed, end-of-season feel. The pressure has been taken off by those big wins against Bristol Rovers and Crawley, and free from the burden of having something to play for, we look like we’re finding our sweet spot. Yesterday, the Grecians, still with their toe slightly dipped in the relegation water, came to take a point. We fought, we played well (in my opinion), and we just couldn’t break down that Devon defence. They got their point, one I guess could be described as ‘useful’ for them.
That’s not the whole story of the afternoon of course, each match no matter how much of a dead rubber, still has it’s stories, but the overall impact of the game isn’t something we’ll really remember. We jumped onto 50 points, a welcome benchmark, we kept a clean sheet and the 4-2-3-1 formation once again saw us look like a decent League One outfit. However, with a little over a month left, there are no huge conclusions to be drawn, no fearful ‘sleepwalking into a relegation battle’ posts, and no aspirations of breaking the top six.
The team remained the same as it had been a week ago, with Michael Skubala seemingly happy to have found a rhythm that has brought safety to the Bank. That meant James Collins led the line, with Reeco Hackett once again a menace in the ten role. Tom Bayliss is a cemented starter alongside Conor McGrandles, with Dom Jeffries also a staple of the first team set up now.
It’s a decent starting XI, a set of players with talent and a goal threat and if next season started right now, with the squad we currently have, I’d predict a top half finish. James Collins coming in has been huge for us, and the shift in formation has made us look much more stable. Yesterday, from the first minute until the 91st, there was only one winner.
In fairness to Exeter, they’re not a bad side. They came compact, but they offered virtually nothing for the entire game. It wasn’t wave after wave of City attacks, but I felt we were in complete control throughout. Jovon is playing with real confidence and, once again, looks to frighten his opposite number, while Reeco has become a revelation in the ten. The former Portsmouth man created the best chance of the half; his delicious lofted cross was headed almost perfectly towards the goal of Joe Whitworth by Tom Bayliss. It was a really good header. It had to be to beat Whitworth, one of the division’s best keepers, but it didn’t beat the frame of the goal.
That came in first half stoppage time, but before that Paudie had a header from a corner land on the top of the net, and Tom Hamer had a similar effort he couldn’t direct at goal. Those two chances were the ‘big’ ones, and they punctuated a first half which saw us creating chances from our 49% possession, and Exeter failing to do so from their 50%.
There was a big moment early on which also got the crowd on their feet – a handball. Dom Jeffries looked to lift a ball into the area and Jack McMillan clearly handles. His arm is in an unnatural position and, having watched back multiple times, it is 100% a penalty. It wasn’t given by referee Declan Bourne, the same referee who failed to send Mal Benning off on Boxing Day against Shrewsbury, and while at the time I wasn’t too concerned, watching back, it’s a big error. However, the assistant referee is on the other side of the pitch, and I’d rather he didn’t guess.
I also think Josh Magennis was lucky to stay on the field. I’ve always liked Magennis (well, I’ve always disliked him, which means he’s decent against us), but after picking up a booking, he immediately clattered into O’Connor, and then seemingly feigned injury to avoid a yellow. We know Declan Bourne doesn’t like to send players off, and had he done so it could have been judged as harsh, but from a Lincoln perspective, it could have been a red.
Remember that a handball was not given, and a red was not given in the first half. It’s important, in the end.
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