Lincoln City travel to Grimsby Town this evening, and instantly fans feel their hackles go up. All those years of injustice, running back well over 150 years, come to the fore.
For me, it’s about 2006, the awful atmosphere at theirs after we lost the play-off semi-final, and Ben Futcher celebrating in front of the Lincoln fans. It was about putting five past them weeks earlier and then not turning up, being herded into a car park by Humberside’s finest, then turned loose in our colours, avoiding packs of black-and-white idiots spoiling for a fight. It always means something to us.
But not to the players and staff. Tonight is a pre-season friendly, and while it is against our old enemy, now consigned to playing two divisions below us, that literally means nothing. We may always want to beat Grimsby, but tonight is not about the result at all. It’s not about anything other than preparing for Derby County a week on Saturday, or Middlesbrough in 18 days’ time.
While that is something important to bear in mind, I have also picked out five other things about this evening that you should absolutely be aware of, whatever the outcome.
Last Season
Last season, City lost this game and won League One with 103 points. That alone underlines how important the result actually is. Now, I don’t want to call out individuals because everyone is entitled to an opinion, but some of the feedback to that result included:
- Looking like relegation fodder
- Need a left back quick.
- Horrific performance
- Wickens still can’t make a save
- Moylan is selfish and wasteful.
- Why are we playing Street out wide?
As I said, that isn’t intended as a slur on the writers, and there were more comments from others. The game may have been bad, and perhaps one or two of the points made did align with the performance as a contest. Street was better through the middle, and he got his chance. The point about the left-back was valid, and we signed one. Wickens made saves throughout the season, and Moylan’s desire to be on the ball and take chances became a huge asset.
I’m not being critical of the posters, please remember that, but merely reflecting on how little the outcome of the Grimsby game actually meant.
Andrei Coubiș
He’s our big-name signing of the summer so far, a man likely to have cost us a seven-figure sum, and the first such player in the club’s history. When Alan Shearer became Newcastle’s record signing, as well as the world-record signing, he made his debut in a meaningless friendly against the Imps. Coubiș most likely won’t feature tonight. We haven’t heard an interview from him yet, which suggests there is no work permit.
It’s not an issue; these things do take a little time, but don’t expect to see him either. If the permit isn’t through, he can’t be seen to be working at all, so he won’t be able to warm up and, most likely, he’d even be unable to wave to the hardy supporters making the trip into Cleethorpes.
Squad Depth
We are still a few faces short; that’s a fact. We know that: we need a number two for Wickens, and we need maybe three or four faces in the squad to fill out what we have. Unless something remarkable has happened, and it hasn’t, we’ll go to Grimsby three or four faces short. It’s really important to understand that isn’t a reason to panic. Again, I reference last season: we started with Ethan Hamilton and Jovon Makama in the side. McGrandles was on the bench, as was Hackett. The bench included Okoro, Okewoye, Parks, Carlisle, Simmons, Aldridge and Vanderpuye. That was a fair way away from the side that took to the field against Reading, and even further from the one that took on Chelsea in September.
My point is that we are still at a stage in the recruitment and summer process where the squad is incomplete. It’s possible someone will play tonight who is still going to leave the club. It’s 100% certain that three or four players across the globe, who are not currently with the squad, are going to be wearing red and white when we take on Millwall, QPR and Watford.
Shape
This is where the interest is. How will we line up? This is a practice match, a chance to get minutes into players, but also to try something around shape and approach. Of course, Grimsby will offer something very different to Middlesbrough and Portsmouth, but it’s still a test, a simulation of a competitive game. That’s how I see a friendly: a simulation of a competitive fixture.
I’m interested to see which of the players we know will be involved this season play, and where. I’m interested to watch our attacking patterns, how we defend corners and how we attack set pieces. Tonight isn’t outcome-based; it is process-driven. It’s about getting ready for a competitive fixture, not taking part in one. We could lose 5-0, and while I’d be a bit hacked off, it wouldn’t mean a thing. Last summer, we lost to Huddersfield behind closed doors, and it meant nothing at all.
Josh Honohan
I thought I’d throw this one in there. I have an interest in finally seeing Josh in a Lincoln shirt. It’s a friendly, I get that, but just seeing him step out for the Imps will be huge. Over our history, I’m sure we have paid six figures for a handful of players, but he is one of three we know almost for certain were at the top end of our biggest fees when he arrived. It’s been, what, seven months since he arrived, and we’ve not seen him at all.
I’m sure he’ll be delighted to finally kick a ball in front of some Lincoln fans, even if it is in a half-empty Blundell Park on a muggy night that means even less than the EFL Trophy group games used to.
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