Following the 3-0 win at home against Cheltenham Town in League One, I asked the Vital Lincoln City members what three things they learned from the match.
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Here’s what sedgleyimp said:
1. It is possible to win a game of football before the match kicks off. When the team sheet was delivered at around 2pm there were a few round pegs in square holes. Normally I really don’t like to see that but we have had a season where if you are fit enough to play you’ve got a chance of starting irrespective of what your best position is. What was clear from the very start of the game was that the plan on how to beat Cheltenham had been formed before that team was decided on. They played very narrowly at the back and you could see with the positions taken up by Whitaker and Scully that the plan was to stretch them. You could see also that the selections of House and Cullen didn’t allow their defence to settle of how to deal with them. Some have been bemoaning the fact that Cullen only has one goal during his loan spell yet some of his movement and positioning created chances for others which were taken. The value of planning before the kick-off was evident and that was what won us the game.
2. Confidence is vital to getting wins. With a relatively inexperienced team this season there has often been occasions where players have just lacked that little bit of confidence to try a defence-splitting pass, take on an opponent, or just have a pot shot. That first 20-minute blitz was a very different story and you could almost see the confidence in the players. Smiles were broader and they looked like they were enjoying themselves and let’s be honest that hasn’t been the case in many games at home this season when the moans and groans of the crowd seep through. The best example was Whittaker’s second goal. I don’t think he would have tried that when it was 0-0 in the Gillingham game, yet on Saturday he chanced his arm and scored a cracking goal. You can do that when you have raced into a 2-0 lead as supporters will make allowances if the ball ends up in Sincil Drain.
3. The end of a season is no real indication of what might happen next year. Honestly, I don’t think any of us would look at Cheltenham’s performance on Saturday and hold out much hope for their survival chances next season, but if ever the term ‘On the Beach’ was appropriate it was there to see on Saturday. No doubt it helped us, but in reality, it isn’t an indication of them as a team. They’ve done well overall and will be competitive again come July. I hope that the fixture computer is kind and schedules this match for the end of the season again though as no football team can win a game when that attitude prevails.
Thank you to Graham Burrell and Lincoln City Football Club for the photograph!
Lincoln City 3-0 Cheltenham Town:
Three Things We Learned:https://t.co/o1Vt08Nf3F#ImpsAsOne #CTFC
— Vital Lincoln City (@VitalLincoln) April 20, 2022
