That’s Put The Cat Among The Pigeons: Imps 4-2 West Bromwich Albion

July 26, 2025 Gary Lincoln City, Matches, Reports 0

Pre-season is a funny old thing, really.

It’s a period of highs and lows that aren’t really highs or lows. It’s a time when agenda-pushers set their stall out, ready for the new season. I’ve already seen it – some saying Michael Skubala won’t be in charge come November, others touting us as promotion candidates.

Every non-event is an event in the absence of real competition. Lose in a bizarre 120-minute friendly in Spain against Bromley, and we’re doomed. See a player in-the-know internet accounts have linked with us go to a rival, and we’re getting left with the dregs. Sell our best player for a cut-price deal, and the club’s rotten. Beat a Championship side at full strength 4-2, and HMS Piss The League has set sail.

Honestly? I hate it. It’s a tiny bit like watching the trailer for a movie and then writing a full critical review based on 30 seconds. I hate people replying to transfer news with memes (moron memes are almost always the same). It’s a copy-and-paste period of nothingness that some believe means everything.

Does our loss to Grimsby in midweek make us relegation fodder? No. Does our smashing four past West Brom today make us title contenders? No. It does put a little bit of polish on a tough week, though, doesn’t it?

Let’s be honest, with eight days to go until the big kick off we’d lost back-to-back (meaningless) friendlies against League Two sides, lost two senior players to injury and then sold our biggest asset for a fee much less than we’d hoped. Hell, even I went to bed last night a bit despondent, despite assuring everyone I spoke to that nothing we didn’t expect to happen has happened. Ethan Erhahon was always going to leave at some point. Friendlies have never meant a thing, and yet I closed my eyes thinking ’20th and I’ll be happy’.

Fast forward 24 hours. Jovon bags a brace, one a sensational strike. Jack Moylan comes up with the goods, Ryley Towler pops up with some physical presence. A squad that had hoped to be top six in the Championship are sent home with four goals to mull over, and suddenly there is optimism around the Bank again. The cat of optimism has been well and truly released among the pigeons of pessimism.

Of course, as I keep saying, it means nothing. Reading lost heavily today, at home, conceding four. We bagged four. Does it mean we’ll win 4-0 next weekend? No, of course not. It’s all about mindset, it’s not at all about narrative. I’d seen a tweet earlier in the week that said Lincoln City had lost control of the narrative, but is that really a thing in pre-season? Does a story have a narrative before it starts? Maybe, maybe not.

I’m a bit gutted as I was meant to be at today’s game, but sadly, my Dad wasn’t well last night, so I spent the day in A&E instead. I’m sure if I had been there, I’d be getting a little more carried away. I have to admit, I’ll sleep a little easier this evening on the back of that win, whether it means anything or not.

Still, the only thing that really matters is me being in the same mood in 168 hours.