The image you have of the game might be that we were second best in the second half, as a decent Stockport side turned the screw without creating anything really clear cut. What you may forget is we both had big chances in the second half. Wickens made a tremendous save from Wootton’s header just before the hour. It isn’t even on the Sky highlights, but I’m told the sponsors gave him Man of the Match just for the save.
For us, Hackett and Darikwa combined, McGrandles then played a smart ball for the latter (my Man of the Match), and he worked it to Street, before it bounced off a defender. Street smashed a lovely shot at goal, beat Addai, but not the post. This move, for me, was really important because even though Hackett and Street weren’t seeing as much of the ball as they’d like, it showed their class; despite not having their very best games, they still kept working, and could never be underestimated.
As for Darikwa, no words. Actually, I do have words. I took some flowers down to Dad this morning, to ask him for a bit of luck, and as I took the film off, I squeezed that little pouch of food you get. The bloody thing burst all over me (Dad would have been howling) and it got everywhere. It was on my jeans, my top, my hands, and even as late as the second half I was finding little drops of it on my clothes. It got everywhere, just like our captain.
Still, they kept the pressure on and did get a goal, and obviously, Jack Diamond got it. Here’s a not-very-fun fact: Jack Diamond now has more open play goals against Lincoln at Sincil Bank than he managed for us in his loan spell. A part of me can actually be happy for Diamond scoring. If we hadn’t won I wouldn’t feel this way, but now we have, I do feel happy for him. He must have been going through the worst time of his life while he was with us, so to get a goal here as his side fight for a play-off place may have felt cathartic, and for a young man whose career could easily have been ruined by lies, I’m glad he has bounced back. I’m even more glad his moment didn’t mean anything in terms of the game.
After that, I felt we might crumble. They had us penned in for a while, and they were rolling out those subs. Sidibeh went off, Olaofe came on, and he looked lively as well. They’ve got a good squad, and they used it to perfection. Mind you, we have as well, and we began to make changes. I felt it might be to see the game out, especially when Reach came on, but the excellent Ryley Towler stayed on. Five at the back, let’s protect that point.
The thing is, I have never bought the ‘we sit back on a lead’ criticism. Never. One of our strengths is without the ball, so naturally, if we get a goal and then don’t have the ball for a bit, we’re playing to our strengths. That is why when we made the changes, the lazy trope to pull out is ‘shutting up shop’, but we’re not, are we? We’re going to another formation, but as a team good without the ball, organised and happy to let the other side have possession, we’re actually just as attacking with the three at the back as we are with a four.
There was more defending to be done. Ethan Pye crossed for Diamond again, and he couldn’t put the ball on target, despite beating Wickens. The pendulum swung, but we made our changes, and it swung back, comprehensively. We had an effort cleared off the line, Alfie Lloyd slipping as he tried to strike a nod down from Towler, but it took a Dacres-Cogley flick of the boot to clear it away. The former Tranmere Rovers man had a bit of a mare: he was linked with us once, but he played so many balls to opponents, or put crosses in bad places, that I felt we might have dodged a bullet.
That’s not entirely fair, when he was at Bolton I thought he looked spot on, but this wasn’t his afternoon. No, this afternoon belonged to the opposite right-sided man, Tendayi Darikwa.
With 88 minutes on the clock, I think everyone in red and white (other than the players) would have happily heard Charles Breakspear blow his whistle. Another uncomplicated afternoon for the official, handled well, could have finished 1-1 and I’d still be happy. Not Tendayi Darikwa. Not the Lincoln City players. A big George Wickens punt was nodded back and the captain hit it first time. Pye tried to block, but the effort took a horrible deflection, wrong-footed the keeper, and from looking beatable, we were 2-1 up once again.
Like Blackpool a couple of weeks ago, that was the signal for a little bit of a crumble. Stockport had the stuffing knocked out of them by our late charge, and they pushed men forward with a view to maybe dragging a 2-2 out of the game. You might think, on the balance of play, that would have been fair. Sadly (for them), everyone’s favourite stat, xG, disagrees, with us showing 2.20 compared to their 0.87. It could have been 2-0, and Alfie Lloyd made sure we took that two-goal cushion from the game.
It’s another assist for George Wickens as well, who moves onto three. His big punt should have been dealt with by Pye and Hills, but Lloyd had other ideas, scrapping for his chance, shrugging off Hills and beating Addai with ease for his first goal of the season in red and white. Also, it was the 13th time a Lincoln City player has come off the bench to score. Sure, it put gloss on the scoreline and maybe, just maybe, 2-1 would have been more reflective of the game, but who would begrudge a grafter like Lloyd a goal? Not me, that’s for sure.
I hung around like a fart in a lift after the game. I didn’t do the interview with the manager, I just ‘circulated’. I just wanted to be there. I wanted to see Alan Long and Chris Ashton. I wanted to bump into people outside the ground, I wanted to debrief. I know I go on about it, but I don’t get that now Dad isn’t around, and today, I needed it. Why? Because today, I really can taste the Championship.
Before last week I feared a surge from Bolton. After Cardiff, I became more convinced we might go up, but as Bolton failed to pull a third out of the bag at Rotherham, and with Wigan beating Bradford later in the day, I can feel it. I can feel it in the people I chat to as well, the pessimism is seeping away with every hard-fought win, with every late goal, with every match that we say ‘they’re a decent side’ and then we win anyway.
You know what? I don’t want to say it here in black and white, just in case, but let’s face it. This Lincoln City team is the real deal. They fight for each other, on and off the pitch. The goals come from all over, we’re not reliant on anybody at all, and whichever 11 takes the field, you know they’ll be well-drilled, focused, and absolutely honed in on what they need to achieve.
“The most exciting thing is developing a way that makes the team proud and playing football on the front foot. I can see how important the fans are to the young players and how important it is to put a team on the pitch that, winning or losing, the fans will get behind and push the team.” – Michael Skubala, November 2023.
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