9,078 home fans crammed in to Sincil Bank for this mouth-watering Boxing Day fixture with Stevenage whose own fans numbered 190 making it our fourth game at home this season where we’ve seen in excess of 9,000 fans. To think that it wasn’t so long ago we were grateful for nearly 2,000 Cods to swell the numbers on Boxing Day, but this is nothing like the same team or club as back then. The roller-coaster ride that we have been taken on by first Clive Nates and then the two Cowley brothers over the last two years just keeps on getting better and better as we now find ourselves in the last remaining automatic promotion spot and another home game to relish in a few days against bottom side Forest Green Rovers. Bob Dorrian must surely be on cloud nine every single day!
As for the game, City had to start without central defender and club captain Luke Waterfall who succumbed to the illness that has affected a number of the players in the last few days; indeed Danny Cowley indicated that as of lunchtime on Christmas Day, he only had about eight fit players and then, later that evening, nearly lost another as Sean Raggett’s car suffered a blow-out as he was on his way up to Lincoln and with nobody available to help him out, Danny had to go and collect him from near Gillingham in Kent! It was therefore, a patched-up side with Rob Dickie replacing the unfortunate Waterfall which took to the field yesterday afternoon in the glorious sunshine and the sight of Jamie McCombe on the bench truly showed the plight that the management team was in.
The first fifteen minutes were played at a fairly frenetic pace and Stevenage looked to be in the ascendancy with Josh Vickers twice called into action to keep out efforts from first a Danny Newton header and then saving well from Matt Gooden. For Lincoln, it was clear that both Matt Rhead and Matt Green were to play influential parts in this game and both were involved in City’s first real effort on goal which saw a Raggett left-footed pile-driver from about eight yards superbly pushed away for a corner by Joe Fryer in the Stevenage goal. Then, another exquisite touch by Rhead who laid the ball through to Green from inside his own half and the latter, pushing to the right channel took the ball and the defender on and smashed a shot which was certainly goal-bound until Fryer again parried the ball which this time fell beautifully for the onrushing Harry Anderson to nod home from five yards. Note, Anderson ran over half the field of play to get into the right place at the right time; goal number six of the season for him, then.
City then had a bit of defending to do as Stevenage came forward looking to get an early equaliser but the lads held firm even if some of the defending looked a little desperate. I think it shows how these lads work so hard for each other with such an admirable team ethic. Virtually the last bit of action in the first half saw Fryer nearly punch the ball into his own net following a header from Raggett after the ball was swung in from a free kick by Sam Habergham, but luckily for the ‘keeper, the ball bounced out to safety for a final corner for City, which came to nothing.
Half-time: Lincoln City 1 Stevenage 0
The second half got under way with City clearly on the up and pressing for a second goal. Raggett again went close with a header before a good run from Nathan Arnold, who seems to be coming back in to some good form, nearly set both Green and Anderson free but a late lunge from Stevenage’s Ronny Henry pushed the ball agonisingly out of their reach. Twice more City could have added to their score, an Arnold header was saved before yet another Arnold pass was put wide by Anderson and then Arnold’s cross was tamely headed goal-wards by Rhead. Then came a moment of pure magic; City won a free kick on the right-hand touchline about 35 yards out which Habergham played to Arnold on the touchline and he then played it back for Eardley to put a pinpoint cross into the path of Green who hit a Robinsonesque type volley with his left foot and smashed the ball in to top corner of Fryer’s goal. A beauty and no mistake!
Soon after and a Bostwick clearance was chested down by Rhead well inside his own half, who then played a beautiful lob over the last line of defence to Green, timing his run to perfection, and raced goal-wards before unselfishly playing a cracking little pass inside for Anderson to belt home, except he didn’t, he miscued his effort wide of the goal!
In seven second-half minutes, Danny Cowley made three substitutions with Elliott Whitehouse coming on for Arnold, Ollie Palmer for Green and finally Josh Ginnelly for Rhead and it was all three subs who combined to give City a well-deserved third goal; Whitehouse threaded the ball through to Palmer who picked it up unopposed on the edge of the box, took a couple of paces before smashing the ball goal-wards only to see Fryer, yet again, parry the ball into the path of a very grateful Ginnelly who prodded home. That was pretty much it as City played out the remaining minutes in a very professional manner to claim another clean sheet, their fourth on the trot whilst scoring seven! The unbeaten run is now six games (including the EFL Trophy game Vs Accrington) since that dreadful night in Essex, with City having scored 13 and conceding just three.
In the preview, you may recall that I predicted a 3-0 City win; I wish I’d had a bet on that which would have topped off a lovely Christmas this year!
Saturday will see Mark Cooper’s bottom-side Forest Green Rovers back at Sincil Bank for what could be another near sell-out crowd and the chance for our second double of the season in consecutive matches. That game is, of course, followed by a massively important game at Kenilworth Road which quite simply ought to be shown live on TV.
Thank you to Graham Burrell and Lincoln City FC for the photographs.
Match Report: @LincolnCity_FC 3-0 @StevenageFC:https://t.co/uVNO1aMpNs#TeamLincoln #StevenageFC #EFL
— Vital Lincoln City (@VitalLincoln) December 27, 2017
