Lincoln City Man of the Match v Birmingham City: Ben House

City were beaten by a strong Birmingham side at the ProAmpac Stadium, with August Priske scoring twice and Alex Cochrane adding a third, while Tom Bayliss grabbed our consolation. However, the scoreline doesn’t necessarily tell the full story of the afternoon, with Mikkel Ladefoged striking the inside of the post early on and Deji Elerewe denied by an outstanding James Beadle save just before the interval.

I have to say, I’m surprised by how low these ratings are. Birmingham have assembled a squad with resources considerably greater than ours, and while we made mistakes that ultimately cost us the game, we were competitive for significant periods and created some excellent opportunities. Losing 3-1 against an opponent of that quality is disappointing, but I think some of these scores reflect frustration with the result rather than the performances themselves.

House was certainly worthy of his place at the top of the rankings. He battled throughout his 80 minutes on the field, providing the sort of physical presence that has become so important to our approach. He was involved in the move that saw Ladefoged strike the post, continued to cause problems for the Birmingham defence and, of course, was on the receiving end of that controversial Ethan Laird challenge.

What impressed me was how quickly he returned to the action after receiving lengthy treatment. House doesn’t tend to shy away from a physical battle anyway, but getting kicked in the face and then carrying on with the same determination sums up much of what he brings to this Lincoln City side.

Ben House v Birmingham City in Numbers

House played 80 minutes against Birmingham, operating in an attacking midfield role and working alongside Ladefoged as City attempted to unsettle the visitors.

He was involved in several of our better attacking passages, although his afternoon wasn’t without frustration. He had an opportunity in the second half after collecting a knockdown from Ladefoged, but could only find the side netting, while another effort lacked the power to trouble the goalkeeper.

His performance was about considerably more than what happened in front of goal. He contested possession, battled for second balls and helped City maintain an attacking threat against defenders playing at a level where the margins for error are far smaller than those we’ve been accustomed to in recent seasons.

Andrei Coubiș finished second with 6.66, and he was actually my personal choice for Man of the Match. I thought he offered a great deal going forward, particularly with his powerful running and long throws, while also contributing defensively. Adam Reach completed the top three with 6.38, followed by Ladefoged and goalscorer Bayliss.

I find it particularly difficult to reconcile some of those marks with the quality of the opposition. Birmingham were deserved winners, and we were certainly responsible for contributing to our own downfall, but there were plenty of encouraging moments in our performance. We weren’t simply overwhelmed by a better side, and with a little more composure in front of goal, the contest could have been very different.

House’s 7.38 looks fair enough to me, but the gap between him and the other players seems excessive. We’re competing against clubs with established Championship players and vastly greater resources, yet still creating chances and having periods where we look capable of hurting them. I don’t think that should be lost simply because the result didn’t go our way.