Following last night’s 2-2 draw at home against Accrington Stanley in League One, I asked the Vital Lincoln City members what three things they learned from the match.
You can discuss what has been said in this article HERE, as well as many other topics on our 100% Imps forum! We have also published a Lincoln City v Accrington Stanley Quiz, which can be found just below the first three things. Every page view helps raise money for Lincoln City Football Club!
Here’s what hulloutpost said:
1. It’s a difficult balance to be struck between resting players and keeping continuity. With hindsight bringing in two brand new full-backs, reintegrating Montsma whilst trying to compensate for the loss of Bridcutt was a stretch too far but at least corrections were made in the second half.
After a completely disjointed first half it is a credit to the side that they almost won the game against an absolutely horrible (and I completely mean that as a compliment) Accrington who are going to upset a lot of sides between now and seasons end.
2. Liam Bridcutt missing for up to six weeks is a big issue and it needs resolving. Those who didn’t appreciate the experience and balance he brings to the side will be in no doubt as to his value now.
Without him, the midfield is noticeably unbalanced which results in at least one of the other players taking from their game to try and compensate for the loss of what Liam provides and to be candid they can’t do it as well as he does. In reality, it is, therefore, a double hit.
MA and the coaches are going to need to come up with an effective tweak to try and restore some balance and fluidity to our central areas.
3. We have a good squad with strength and quality in-depth, no doubt. However, the players that have not had much game time appear to be at different stages of readiness. The two full-backs and young Saunders are barely in the building and we should not be expecting too much of them while they adjust and get conditioned. When to deploy them needs to be carefully considered and managed, whilst avoiding putting too much expectation on them.
James Jones and Lewis Monstsma are recovering from Covid and shortage of games and are not quite up to their previous levels but we can expect them to improve.
On the other hand, Harry Anderson and Antony Scully look like they are bursting to get back into full-time action and their abilities both technical/physical with their fantastic attitude to playing the game, bodes well.
Whatever the result against Sunderland, the squad can only benefit from playing the cup game with regard to match fitness. It will be a massive opportunity for somebody stepping up to lay down a huge marker for selection in the league 11. That in turn should provide fresh drive and energy to the next few games in what is likely to be a sapping and attritional three months ahead.
Did you watch the match last night? Don’t forget to Rate The Players, Vote For Your Man of The Match, Rate The Ref and share your views on our Match Thread!
Have a go at our Lincoln City v Accrington Stanley Quiz below:
And here’s what Chesterimp said:
1. Trust in MA, he’s got us to the top of the league and has so much more information to base his tactics and selection on than any of us armchair pundits.
2. However, 3 defensive changes created problems, Walsh holding together a defence of new players not yet fully on method, and a slightly ring rusty Montsma. Whether that affected Palmer’s normally confident distribution, Accrington’s press created problems or it was simply a bad night, Palmer had more poor clearances in the first half than the whole season and led directly to the first goal.
3. This is a young side, playing well above pre-season expectations and now missing Bridcutt’s experience for several weeks. The consistency of results across the season belies some inconsistency of performance which comes with a young team. Tonight’s first half was as poor a performance as any this season but they showed character by digging out a much better second half and nearly stealing a win.
Thank you to Graham Burrell and Lincoln City Football Club for the photograph!
Lincoln City 2-2 Accrington Stanley:
Three Things We Learned:https://t.co/f9FRarCBm0#ImpsAsOne #ProudToBeImps #ASFC pic.twitter.com/iCpr5y0WjJ
— Vital Lincoln City (@VitalLincoln) February 15, 2021
