Okay, so ‘meaningless’ might be strong. We were playing Barnsley for top spot, but in the grand scheme of things, a game in a competition in which you will advance no matter what the outcome is ‘meaningless’.
The key here is to understand what question was being asked. Were we asking, ‘will we win the group?’ No, we were not, not in my opinion. The value was never in the outcome; it was in the game itself, in minutes, in rhythm, in the squad, and in confidence.
We’ve been on a tough run. Two goals in what, five fixtures? We’ve created chances but haven’t been putting them away. We needed a show of strength from our forwards, a couple of goals to underline our prowess. Whatever anyone says, we’ve got good forwards and good creators. We’ve never shirked creating a chance, but recently, we haven’t finished them.
I wrote about xG yesterday, and we’ve been creating xG in the same quantity as always. We were still doing some things right. Less so at Orient, more so at Salford, but we still created. That is where last night comes in. Already qualified, pressure off, and the team sheet full of players we have not seen in the league context, we flourished. Maybe it was the lack of pressure, but we created two good chances and scored. I watched Erik Ring striding away and squaring, I watched Oscar Thorne waltzing into the area, and I saw quality. I’ve seen similar, perhaps not as explosive, over the last few weeks, but with no end product.
This has been a goal drought, not a chance drought, and there is a big difference. If you are not creating, the problems are structural, and they run deeper. If you are creating and not finishing, you have to keep putting the ball in those areas until the odds tilt back. The old line about madness and doing the same thing does not apply so neatly when chance quality is repeatable.
Last night we got the end product. Frankie Okoronkwo, perhaps shielding himself from some social media abuse by scoring a sitter after missing a sitter. James Collins, confidently taking the ball on and finishing with ease. Both players will take heart from that, as will those involved in the goals.
Perhaps the biggest thing about last night was the return of three players. Jack Moylan is back after injury. Dom Jefferies is back after injury. Oisin Gallagher, who may yet head out on loan, is back after injury. Two of those will be significant for us over the coming months. Oisin’s performance, controlled and measured, certainly put him back in front of Imps fans after he had slipped from view.
The bit-part players staked a claim as well. Erik Ring, who has only really come into the picture since Salford, added an assist to his goal, making it two involvements in three games. Oscar Thorn, in and out of late, showed that va-va-voom we love in a winger. These are the players who add spark when you need to break teams down. They are the ones you want to start at home against a side like Doncaster, who are not in great form and will need breaking down.
Finn Barbrook deserves a mention as well. He was excellent against Manchester United under-21s and did himself no harm again here. League minutes are a tougher ask right now, especially with returns from injury, but the foundations are there.
There were other positives. Zach Jeacock in goal looked solid, making a couple of saves, and this was not against a Barnsley youth team. David McGoldrick, Davis Keillor-Dunn, Luca Connell… that is senior quality. We managed the game with a patchwork side and did the job.
All of which loops back to the EFL Trophy and its usefulness. It is better now than it has ever been. Years ago, it was one forgettable tie and out — Hartlepool a memorable one for being so forgettable, but few will recall (for instance) a 0-0 draw with Grimsby before penalties put us out. That was pointless, attendance was grim, value was minimal, and you could be four wins from Wembley without learning a thing.
Now it provides money, minutes, and meaningful development. Squads are bigger, benches are deeper, five subs come on, and you need real games to keep players sharp. Otherwise, you are arranging behind-closed-doors friendlies every other week.
The game last night showed our depth is becoming real. Look at the forward and wide options alone: Collins, Draper, Street, Okoronkwo, Obikwu, Ring, Thorn — and add House and Hackett when fit. The challenge is finding consistency while still rotating enough to keep people sharp. It can look disjointed when we chop and change, and while it is often horses for courses, supporters do not see that, and that tests patience.
So yes, it was a dead rubber in qualification terms. The benefit of winning the group is marginal next to what really matters. The performance, the goals, the minutes, the confidence — those are the things that travel into Saturday and beyond.
You can file the result away and forget it if you like. The value might prove priceless.
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