Cheltenham Town (a): Three Things The Imps Need To Do To Win

Ahead of tomorrow’s match away at Cheltenham Town in League One, I asked the Vital Lincoln City members what three things they think The Imps need to do to pick up all three points.

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Here’s what sedgleyimp said:

1. Have a player remain in the central striking position throughout the match. I read after getting back from the Crewe game that this was seemingly an instruction for that match. It didn’t happen. You often hear complaints that the full-backs don’t put an early cross into the box when such an opportunity arises. The reality of the majority of those positions is that there is nobody to aim at because that player who should be by the penalty spot isn’t. So we really need to tell our number 9, whomever that is, that your job is to stick centrally. It will give opportunities for earlier crosses, and that can result in the ball falling right for a striker because the defenders haven’t had the chance to set themselves properly and be facing their own goal rather than the other way.

2. Mix it up a bit and don’t be afraid to get a bit ‘disorganised’. The other night whilst leaving the Crewe game I had a short chat with one of their supporters and he commented on how our game was so much better once we went down to ten men. It was full of effort and energy and this is the kind of performance that will be needed for 90 minutes on Saturday. We clearly felt aggrieved by the shocking decisions that went against us in that match and the anger was clear. It also made us play with more speed and more in terms of playing the ball forward. This attitude needs maintaining and results will come.

3. Players need to relax. You look at many comments online at the moment and some Lincoln ‘supporters’ (a term I use very loosely for them) have turned against the team and the management. Memories of a tremendous season last have been flung into the recesses of their blackholed brains and senses of entitlement abound. Their expectation is of a defeat with probably no goals scored. So players can go into this match with the knowledge that these ‘supporters’ expect a loss. No pressure then. Relax. Enjoy the game and just play to your natural instincts. You might just show them that they really don’t have a scooby-doo about football.

Thank you to Graham Burrell and Lincoln City Football Club for the photograph!

Cheltenham Town (a): Three Things The Imps Need To Do To Win:https://t.co/gxttQoSlkx#CTFC #ImpsAsOne

— Vital Lincoln City (@VitalLincoln) December 10, 2021