I have been really looking forward to this day for a while now. Not only was it Lincoln's first pre season match but what with last seasons relegation, numerous changes of the playing personnel and the new shirt it really felt like the start of a new era for the club. I saw Ilkeston play Notts County a couple of weeks back and they gave a very good account of themselves that day and arguably should have won that game so the new look Imps were going to be in for a decent workout this afternoon.
It also gave me a chance to catch up with my cousin Richard and sink "a few" pints before the match in some of the town's pubs before the match. Due to the fact that i knew i was going to be drinking quite a bit i chose to leave my camera at home and just use the phone to take pictures which is why the shots from today's match aren't the best.
For games in and around the Nottingham area i like to get in early so i can enjoy one of Debenhams fantastic eight item breakfasts. This means getting the 7.03 train out of Retford, changing at Worksop and getting into Nottingham at about 8.45. It has been quite muggy over the past few days so i decided just to wear my jeans and Lincoln top and not bother to take a jacket. As i supped my tea at Worksop station the rain started to come down. As the train journey south continued it became clear that it wasn't just a light shower and that it really wasn't the weather to be wearing just shirt sleeves. The constant rain and grey skies made places like Mansfield even more gloomy and depressing than normal and that is saying something.
However if there is one thing that can cheer you up on a cold wet morning then it is a good old full English breakfast and it went down a treat. From here i dashed down to the Broadmarsh bus station, got on the free city link bus to the Victoria bus station and then got the bus out to Ilkeston. So two trains, two buses and 4 and a half hours after setting off i arrived in Ilkeston. And it was still pissing it down. The first thing i saw after alighting the bus was the Charter pub so i piled straight in. Well it would be rude not to wouldn't it?
After downing a couple of very nice pints of Carlsberg i headed on to meet Rich in the Observatory pub in the market place. Before leaving i couldn't help notice this sign and think of our away trip to Fleetwood and the stop over in Blackpool. Lets hope we can find some of these for the same price but somehow i doubt it. We can live in hope though!
The Observatory is a Weatherspoons pub so it is,well, pretty much like every other Weatherspoons pub in the country really. Before Rich got here i took i flick through the bimonthly magazine the pub issues. There are alot of problems facing the Pub industry at the moment; the VAT hike, the smoking ban and consumer confidence all hitting pubs hard. However one problem seems to dwarf them all. In the readers letters section i was highly disturbed to read that in a certain Weatherspoons branch one customer was shocked to find out that the pub had run out of Brown sauce! What makes this story even worse was the fact that it was in the Retford branch that this horrendous act had occurred! Stay calm and carry on folks. The management are on the case. Phew.
Rich arrived and the beer as always started to flow freely. The rain had also eased off so we took a stroll down to the next pub en-route to the ground which was called "The good ole days". This was what i call a proper pub; The other two had been chain pubs but this was was a really old school pub packed with pictures and antiques from days of yore. There was an old snooker table that was made in Nottingham, a bar skittles set, dartboard and even a piano in the corner. Its just a crying shame that apart from us there was only one other person in there (As well as the barman)
We left there at just gone 2.00 and headed down the canal to Ilkestons new manor ground. By now the sun had come out and it looked as if my decision not to wear a jacket or jumper had actually been the correct one. We paid the £5 entry fee, picked up a programme, and made haste for the bar. There was a good number of Imps in attendance and it was good to see a few old faces who i haven't seen since...well last season really. Baz and Felice had travelled up in the Bazmobile and arrived just after we did. If only they had got in about five minutes earlier, I wouldn't have hesitated to purchase them a drink, but by the time i had spotted them they had already paid for the drinks. Oh well, that's life i suppose.
We decided to get another pint in and while we were at it pre order our drinks for half time. Rich and i were the last out of the bar for the first half and thus managed to miss Lincoln's first goal. Doh. Baz and Felice did see it however and i am reliably informed that it was a close range effort from new striker Jamie Taylor. Jamie notched up 13 league goals in the BSP last season and a return like this in the upcoming season would be most welcome. As this was the first time we have seen the team play and the fact that the players weren't wearing named shirts it made recognising who was who a little tricky. Another new signing Kyle Perry sat out the game due to a knock in training so trialist Bradley Barraclough was given a chance to impress up front. The early goal did seem to have unsettled Ilkeston a tad and they didn't look as well organised as they were against Notts a couple of weeks ago. Lincoln doubled their lead on 15mins when a cross from Barraclough was smashed home by Gavin McCallum on the volley. McCallum looks like he had lost alot of weight during the summer and looked sharp all afternoon. The Imps were 3 up on 25mns when Andy Hutchinson scored following a great pass from Ali Fuseini. To their credit Ilkeston rallied and kept it tight from the rest of the half without really creating in front of the Lincoln goal. The main problem for the Imps (and ourselves) was the tremendous down pour of rain that came down halfway through the 1st half. We were undercover behind the end that Lincoln were attacking but the rain still got at us. Five minutes later we were back to bright sunshine. You really have to love the British summertime haven't you? The end of rain was the signal for my companions to sprint round to the snap counter. Rich went for the Cheeseburger while Baz and Felice grazed happily on chilli and chips. All three seemed very happy with the fare on offer and it looks like the club have sorted the food issues from the Notts County game so fair play to them as it look like they had brought in another burger van to help with the demand.
HT 0-3
We ambled round to the bar again for our halftime drinks and again we were late out for the second half. Ilkeston really do have one of the better clubhouses i have ever seen in a football ground and it was tempting to stay in there for the second half.
Lincoln as expected made quite a few changes in the second half. Keeper Jo Anyon was replaced by a trialist in goal and new signings John Nutter and Alan Power along with the returning Josh Gowling entered the fray. It was Gowling who got Lincoln's fourth with a close range header following a corner. Although no further goals were added Lincoln continued to create the better chances although Ilkeston did much better in the second half. You have to remember that Ilkeston are still very much a new club and i am sure that they are still finding their feet a little. However having seen them twice i am sure they will finish much nearer the top than the bottom of the Evo stick south. They certainly have one of the best stadiums in the league. I have enjoyed both my trips here this pre season and i wish them all the best for the up-coming campaign.
As for Lincoln, well it's tough to say. You can never really read to much into friendlies, especially the first one of pre-season. The main aims are to get the fitness levels up and get the team gelling. We did look good and put some nice stuff together but lets not get carried away. McCallum did look good and seemed more focused that he did at times last season and Andy Hutchinson also impressed. The back four didn't really have alot of work to do so its unfair to judge them as a unit. I imagine we will need to wait for the Scunthorpe United game on Sunday to get a better idea of where we are but after one game i can certainly say so far so good. And its great to see Lincoln fans with a smile on their faces, I haven't been able to say that for a while.
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