Lincoln City were beaten 3-1 by Birmingham City at Sincil Bank on Saturday, with missed chances, defensive mistakes and refereeing decisions all providing talking points.
We had opportunities to change the course of the game, but the goals we conceded left the Imps reflecting on what might have been.
The Stacey West fans panel is a collection of supporters giving their opinions on the latest game. This time, Dave Wilkinson and Richard Godson share their thoughts on our defeat against Birmingham.
Dave Wilkinson
“As is often the case, the first goal was crucial. But if we hadn’t hit the post, we would have been one up. If we hadn’t missed two gilt-edged chances early on, we would have been one up. If Beadle hadn’t pulled off an impossible save just before half-time, we would have gone in level.
“If the ref had sent Laird off (I thought yellow was correct, but have seen them given), who knows what would have happened? If the ref had given us a penalty (four shouts, but I need to see them again)… If we hadn’t gifted three goals!
“I did get the following message from a former colleague who is a Blues fan: ‘A good game and you will win more games than you lose playing like that. Today you didn’t always get the run of the ball.’ My 2-1 win prediction was wide of the mark, but…”
Richard Godson
“So what did I take away from Saturday’s game? A lot of ifs, buts and maybes, to be honest. If Ladefoged’s early strike had gone in, maybe Birmingham’s opener against the run of play wouldn’t have been so significant. If Laird had received the red the replay suggests he deserved, maybe that would have turned the tide. If our defence hadn’t been so generous (I thought Christmas had come early), maybe we could have contained them. But were our numerous errors forced by the visitors’ effective press and use of the width our set-up allowed them?
“My immediate post-match takeaway was littered with the words ‘naive’ and ‘naivety’, referring both to some of our players and to the referee, all of whom appeared to fall for the visitors’ mastery of the ‘dark arts’.
“As for man of the match, Garry (not Gary), who sits in the seat next to mine, and I both picked Ben House, and it seems the sponsors agreed with us.
“There has been much discussion about the referee, and even Birmingham fans agree he was poor, but in the final analysis money talks, and their squad cost a lot more than ours. I thought this as I noticed Ron Fowler sitting impassively throughout the game, perhaps reflecting on the recent EGM resolutions enabling the substantial investment he has generously offered, and maybe even contemplating taking that forward (if he hasn’t already).”
John
“Fair to say it was a tough day at the office. It would be easy to blame the referee and what he should have done, but Birmingham were just the better team, and when you make mistakes at this level, as we did for the first goal, you will get punished. I thought we were too open down the channels, especially when trying to deal with the threat provided by their wingers, and looked uneasy and lacked composure on the ball.
“On a positive note, it was good to see Tom Bayliss score his first Championship goal. He’s had to face a lot of criticism this season, but rarely does he put a foot wrong and is more than deserving of his chance at this level.”
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