Utterly bizarre season, the like of which we will hopefully never experience again. Tonight we travel to Lincoln for the 1st of what is hopefully 3 games over the next 12 days. Last season the curtailment of the season after 35 games wasn’t fair, this time around we’ve played all 46 games, this is sufficient games to get what you deserve out of the season, no complaints whatsoever and as previously said, well done to Hull and Peterborough, who like us got exactly what they deserved from the season. Just as a full season is a reasonable barometer, a 3 game mini league is a much more random scenario. I think if I was actually going tonight I’d be confident of a win, the experience of such games creates emotions that TV just can’t match. We beat Lincoln 4-0 earlier in the season, we knocked them out of the cup on penalties, they capitulated at our gaff last season and the game was over after 20 minutes…. yep this is Lincoln, not PSG, not Man City, not Glasgow Rangers🇬🇧….. this is fucking Lincoln.
“So we’ll win then?”
We may well do, we certainly have the quality to win, none more so than Chris Maguire, (surely he has to play?). I don’t fancy us, we are poor at the back, I just don’t particularly like the cut of this teams jib, I’m unconvinced by our manager. I’ve not seen anything of late that suggests we will produce 3 decent performances over the next 12 days. Thankfully my record of predicting games is absolutely shite.
The Other Game….
Blackpool absolutely smashed Oxford last night and you’d have to say they are through to Wembley. They looked very good on the counter attack, and could even have scored a few more – hopefully we will get the chance to play them at Wembley. Whilst they looked decent, that’s not a worry to us – this is a knockout tournament and to win a knockout tournament you have to beat whoever you play, first Lincoln and then Blackpool.
Football without fans is nothing….
Fantastic to see fans back in the grounds again, I actually think the FA Cup Final was made twice as good a watch, due to the presence of and the reaction of fans, it’s been a really long slog, thankfully it’s almost over….
Tonight’s Team….
Strange season as discussed, I’ve felt a bit nervous today for the first time in ages, in true professional blogging fashion I’ve combatted said nerves by; A) catching up with Sunderland’s Finest at Wetherby Services and B) a liquid tea…..
6PM ….. GAME ON…
24 minutes….. like most of this season, 2 average teams playing out an average game. Lincoln slightly better, (as you’d expect), but 0-0 after 1/4 of game one is good🔴⚪️⚫️
Halt time…. 0-0. Happy with that. Lincoln been better than us….. although the Champions League Final this is not…. it’s a low bar….. I’d rather climb on Jo Brand than Janet Street Porter, (opinions etc), but it doesn’t make Jo Brand Anna Friel.
2nd Half….. let’s just do this…. Lincoln are crap, we are crap, if we can outcrap Lincoln, Blackpool won’t fancy playing us one bit. It’s doable 100%, we’ve seen that Peterborough and Hull were just slightly less crap than the rest of the crap in this crap league…. promotion? Why not? Let’s do this….l
46 ….Jones rattles the bar
47….. Wright rattles the bar
Win this, 100%
51 minutes…. 0-1, FFS, Burge makes his 3rd decent save of the night, 15 seconds later they score from 2 yards, (how many fucking times lads – if players are unmarked 2 yards out, they will score!). I’d take 0-1 now, there’s some good bits about this team, but there’s loads more that worries me greatly.
55 minutes….. just bring Maguire on, at least it gives us a chance?
60 minutes….. aside from the fact that the whole starting 11 have had their haircut, there’s not a huge amount of positives tonight. Let’s try and draw 1-1, if not let’s lose 0-1, FFS don’t lose 0-2
76 minutes….. Lincoln score from 1 yard, 0-2, nothing will be decided tonight, but oh dear…..
90 minutes…. lost 0-2…… absolutely fucking rubbish Lads, absolutely shite
So…. in 3 sleeps time we return to the SOL…. this is fantastic; What else you going to do on a Saturday? As luck would have I’m pretty sure I’ve still got that shirt….. FTM
