City travel to Cardiff this weekend in an unusual position. First v second in the third tier is not something that has happened much to us over the last 50 years.
The TV cameras will be there, and usually, if TV cameras are at a Lincoln game in a stadium packed with 20,000 fans, it’s because we might cause a cup upset. Not anymore, we’re now a serious prospect for promotion, and with a win, we could even get ahead in the (whisper it quietly) title race.
Of course, we’re playing a huge team packed with great players who have no right to be at this level and probably will not be next season. Whatever happens tomorrow, if you finish above Cardiff, you’re going up, and right now that means either Bolton or Lincoln. They’re a great side, and Michael Skubala acknowledged that in his pre-match interview.
“Very good team,” he said, when asked for his thoughts on the Bluebirds. “We saw them at home, they can be very dangerous. They’ve got talented players all over the pitch.
“They can move the ball well. And at home, their form is probably the best. They’ve been absolutely dominant at home in how they want to be and how they want to play.
“It’s going to be a really tough day for us in terms of getting some control in the game, but like any team, they’ve got weaknesses as well.”
One of Cardiff’s weaknesses was exposed the other week as Plymouth got at them and scored five, although Brian Barry-Murphy’s men still scored twice. Finding that weakness, or exploring another one, is the way City get anything from the game, as Michael explained.
“If we can exploit their weaknesses and get after them in the way that we want to do that, I’m sure they’ll be looking exactly the same for us.
“We had a great performance at home against them getting three points against them. We want to try and do that again, but it’s going to be a tougher task away from home as always.
“In any game at this level in this league, you see it. The results away from home are really tough to come by. So, we’re just going to have to make sure that we’re absolutely on the gas to try and get that three points.”
It is just three points. Bolton play Wycombe which is going to be tough, and we’ll hope to match that result. Nobody would argue that a draw on Saturday would be a bad result, and in truth, if you said I could have promotion right now, or play the next 12 games with a chance of the title, but a chance of finishing third, I’d take promotion. The title doesn’t mean anything right now.
Win on Saturday, and it might….
That’s not going to be easy against the best side we’ve faced this season at the Bank, and in their own backyard in front of 20,000 fans it promises to be an occasion to remember.
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