The World Cup media Posse did its best to upstage football’s artisan AKA Alexander the Great. Arriving unhelpfully late, the golden brilliance still paled in the wake of proud resplendent yellabelly yellow. For in truth the welcome queues at Sincil Bank were to pay homage to King KA, Keith Alexander who`s name rang out for ten solid minutes at the end as the appreciative barmy army would not be moved. The yellow socked yellabelly who had a purer heart, one perhaps more solid than the golden trophy itself was as mint a man as you could get. That the Imps would win the game in such fashion would be a fitting tribute to an illustrious Imp.
Amidst the hyperbole the heroic Chessman and arch villain Graham Turner shuffled their packs at the last minute. Ian Pearce was deemed fit and Shane Clarke, not everyone`s choice, came in for the Aussie Assassin. Turner kissed and made up with Lunt and elected to start with McQuoiken and King in an attacking formation, clearly here for the points as opposed to the occasion. Sutton himself had a five move checkmate of his own that would win the match for the under pressure Imps in emphatic style. Placed on the left but in a free role this rookie is fast becoming the most devastating piece in the game for the Chessman and his future campaigns, Matthew Saunders, St Matthew of Sincil, born is the new king of Sincil Bank. Keith would have liked this lad and happily praised his committed box to box ethos.
The Imps went for it from the off, as one would expect in front of double our recent gates. Despite all that will be written about this season few will disagree with the statement that we do our best to try to play a style of football that at times sends the pulse racing and would even cultivate the soul of the purists should they pop down from their premiership parapets in front of the TV. Granted as a work in progress the downsides have seen some trenches and troughs of late not to mention more draws than a game of ‘Kerplunk`. A young and natural nervousness frustratingly invites teams on so and true to form the first two shots of the game went to Hereford, before a move of majesty finished by a Poacher supreme lifted the roofs off the very stands. On ten minutes some slick one touch interchanges found Kerr who threaded the eye of a needle to pick out Somma the Goal machine. With two in attendance he feinted, stepping this way then that before hammering home a humdinger off the underside of the bar. My word this lad is simply sensational though to be honest Mr Grayson he needs a year with the Imps in League 2 to really find his feet.
Back at the other end Burch began to earn the repayments on his sprightly Lord of the Manor Range Rover with a brilliant save from Gavin McCallum. Pearce threw everything including the crown jewels in front of a quickie from McQuilkin and then Hughton hooked a Constantine header off the line and Moses disarmed Preston as the Bulls ran amuck in the Imps 18-yard box. It wouldn`t be the Imps if they made it easy on the fans would it? The nerve jangling penance paid it was time for beauty to two finger the beast in all her splendour as Matt Saunders gave the greatest advert for the neutrals to return week in week out with a goal from the gods. From the angle just behind the goal I am still reliving the matrix moment in my head now. With all but Somma indecisive in front t of goal the ball was played to Saunders who had again ghosted back into his natural central role. Shoot shouted the punters in the home end more in hope than expectation. From the moment Matt struck across the ball on the half volley with the outside of his right boot, as one the entire home end traced the howitzer as it arced into the top left hand corner, punching the air in sheer delight to an Imp. As Martin Peter`s will tell you that was a worthy World Cup Winning Goal, but as is customary in these parts the Passionistas do the dance of the Dambusters to celebrate even the most calamitous of own goals.
So twenty minutes in and the Imps were hoisting up the Lincoln flag complete with Keith Alexander`s smiling face somehow with us and roaring on the young Imps. Lennon drive from the restart suggested things could get even better with Lunt closer to the corner flag than the goal at the other end. The rendition of ‘how wide do you want the goal` raised a smile or two. A flurry of offsides broke the game up as the match became disjointed and dropped a pace. Hereford enjoyed the better of it to be fair with Drew Broughton being denied his first goal for the Imps. A slick interchange with quick foot Somma fed Bigfoot Drew who was so offside that even the posters on the BBC 606 agreed. It was a nice finish inside the far post but then they always are. Broughton it has to be said had a really good night against Valentine though an exchange of cards will be unlikely. On 41 minutes The Bulls got a deserved goal back. McQuilken bombed down the left and delivered an early angled pin-point cross into the path of Ryan Green. His cushion volley to Pugh saw the Bull`s leading scorer turn and lash home into the bottom corner.
So food for thought at half time but both managers elected to stay with the same personnel. As indeed did Mr Deadman who continued to turn a blind eye and ‘cop a deafun`. One simply has to give the man a 10. How refreshing that such a laissez-faire chap continues to officiate, espousing an open game of see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. The Bulls took the kick-off and the game by the scruff of the neck with the usual Imp suspects naturally ‘up for it`. A clever Kerr, for we forget he is a decent player, throughball saw Somma chip the first chance of the half high and wide. A buoyant Marc Pugh was seeing a lot of the action though real end product was in short supply, thanks to Swaibu, Pearce and the decisive aerial anticipation of Burch. Kerr was having a true Captain`s game in the middle with his duel with McQuilken making even the most open minded wince. Hats off Scotty, by the looks of things there could well be a career for you in plastic surgery, though I would recommend anaesthetic before attempting ‘the removal of a fifth limb and undercarriage`. Old campaigner Ian Pearce and hot blooded bull Constantine were also getting to grips with each other with so much Sumo at one set piece we were excepting the Sushi to be served with Coca Cola. Pearce reacted with Rambo Hone replacing, the hobbling and for once unsmiling Swaibu, who had taken one too many for the team.
Matt Saunders fortunately put the game beyond doubt in the 69th minute. Somma was given time to turn on the edge of the box and squared a clever ball into the path of the onrushing Saunders to hammer a low pile driver home from twelve yards. Sincil Bank was sailing and even. Three minutes later the yellow socked yellabellies finally saw a yellow card as the fiery encounter fizzled out bar the odd scores being settled up and down the pitch. Valentine, who would get the only card of the game, floored Drew Broughton after an ‘old skool` aerial challenge. Saunders continued his deserved man of the match performance heading the resultant corner clear as both sides made substitutions Mathieu Manset and Matthew Done came on for Craig King and Leon Constantine whilst Ian Pearce was replaced by Paul Green. The central defensive problem is starting to look a little bleak, so please do not be surprised to see Pearce start with an eye patch ,a hook and a wooden leg on Tuesday. Paul Connor to his credit gave us a £250 quid a minute cameo replacing a limping Broughton at the end. Hereford had a couple of chances, with the hearts fluttering as the Bulls tried to get at least a goal back but again their was little end product bar Birch claiming confidently under his bar even though his feet were well over the line.
So we sent the Gaffer off with a win. Just perhaps as Keith smiles down on the Imps things are starting to turn and come good for us now that we are at perhaps another of our darkest days Could it be that Keith Alexander, the man who brought the Imps back from the brink will now spark another revival under a cash strapped chessman at the Bank? Or will those fans who payed tribute to a great man last night return and help us to build a war chest to help the Imps fight back. Let us not forget that Keith was one for overcoming the odds all his illustrious life
1 Burch 5 Swaibu (Hone 67) 13 Pearce (Green 80) 38 Anderson 11 Kerr 16 Lennon
19 Clarke 25 Hughton 39 Saunders 15 Broughton (Connor 90) 18 Somma
Substitutes
20 Musselwhite, 2 Green, Hone, 21 Reid, 31 Gordon, 35 Gilmore, 09 Connor
Goals
Somma 11
Saunders 20 & 70
Hereford
1 Bartlett 2 Green 3 Valentine yellow card 17 Preston 20 Jones 6 Lunt
7 Pugh 14 McQuoiken 31 McCallum 10 Constantine (Done 79) 26 King (Manset 79)
Substitutes
30 Adamson, 4 Rose, 16 Downing, 12 Sonko, 15 Gwynne, 23 Done, 22 Manset
Scorer Pugh 42
Possession Imps 50% Hereford 50%
Shots on Imps 3 Hereford 6
Shots off target Imps 2 Hereford 3
Corners Imps 0 Hereford 6
Offsides Imps3 Hereford 5
Fouls Lincoln City 8 Hereford 7
Saves Imps 5 Hereford 0
Ref: Deadman
Att: 6,012 (5,900 of Imp descent)
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