Braintree Town 1-0 Lincoln City
The journey between Chelmsford and Braintree was the easiest leg of the day's journey. Even though our second match had been delayed by ten minutes we still made Braintree in good time. In fact it was slightly shorter than Baz had planned for so he redeemed some credibility after his earlier boo boos. Braintree's ground is quite well hidden behind a housing estate but we just about managed to find it. There is a Co-op not to far from it so Felice stocked up on bifters and even shared his sweets with us. We parked up just a short walk from the ground and i changed out of my Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley cup champions T-shirt and donned the famous red and white strips of Lincoln City.
We decided against going to the pub at the top of the road and went straight down to the ground to soak up the atmosphere. This was the only match on the hop that was segregated. As we stood outside the ground chatting to various Imps fans we were once again collared by Gary. The two hopper's buses had arrived. Gary made a bee line to see Lee and he quickly introduced him to Baz. While these three merry fellows chatted i took a few pics.
As all good groundhoppers, do Gary wanted to get into the ground early so he didn't have to much time to chat. We bid our farewells but i got the feeling that if we are ever down "hopping" in Essex again, its sods law that our paths will cross again. I can neither deny nor confirm if any or our number swapped email address just in case our paths cross again.
Throughout the day we had heard from various fans of the different clubs telling us how much of a dump Braintree was so we were quite unsure as to what to expect. The area around the ground may not have been the nicest but a hell of alot better than the likes of Hull, Bradford, and Doncaster etc.
As with most places you visit first impressions count. Due to the segregation we could not get to the clubshop from inside the ground to purchase the club badge but a club official kindly let us in to visit the shop. It was stocked with all the normal items and also had plenty of DVD copies of Braintrees 5-0 demolition of Grimsby for sale. The programme was £2 and although it looked quite smart didn't have all that much to read in it. We got chatting to a club steward who recommend the "King Kebab" Kebab shop for post match refreshments. He told us about the plans the club have to move to a new stadium but i got the impression that it is still a couple of years away.
As we came out of the clubshop we again saw the Blue Square girls and this time they were handing out free "I did the Blue Square treble" Commemorative T-shirts to the hoppers who had traveled on the coach. We asked nicely if we could have one as we had indeed seen all three games and they seemed only to keen to get rid of them.
While i will admit that Braintree's ground is basic i do think people may have been a tad harsh about it. Imps fans had a section of seats in the main stand and some terracing behind the goal and some next to the seats. The terrace was only about three steps deep so we chose to stand at the side. The view wasn't as good as at the first two games but it was on a par to the view we get when we watch Retford United so it was all good.
Most of the home fans were stood on the open terrace to our left and were in good voice as the kick off approached. By contrast to all the other sets of fans on the hop the Lincoln fans were quite twitchy and were very quiet. Granted the ground doesn't really lend itself to creating a good atmosphere but as a group of fans you could just tell that people were waiting for the team to perform and expected the worst.
Throughout the day i had managed to resist the temptation to buy any food at any of the grounds. But as we were stood right next to the snap hut i eventually succumbed and purchased a hotdog for £3. It wasn't great but it did the trick. The other guys just had a tea which went down quite well.
The match report for this last game will be rather brief as from a Lincoln perspective there was very little to report. Braintree were simply better than Lincoln in all departments and just seemed more hungry. Lincoln struggled to get anything going and rarely troubled the home side's keeper. Braintree weren't creating many chances but they created more than Lincoln did. As the game went on the fans became more and more disgruntled with the side and they received plenty of strong words as they trudged off at halftime.
The second half wasn't much better. Braintree created more chances while City toiled. Manager Steve Tilsion made a double substitution when he swapped the front two. For my money it was harsh on the strikers as they hadn't had any service all game. The only time we looked like scoring was when Sam smiths effort smashed against the bar came down and bounced out.
As the game wore on the fans became more and more annoyed with both the players and the manager. At the final whistle the players came over to applaud the fans only to be meet by a barrage of insults as the fans told them in no uncertain terms what they thought of their "efforts". A couple of players led by captain Josh Gowling to their credit came over to try and talk to the fans and claim the situation down. In my 17 years supporting City i have never seen the fans as angry and wound up as this. Had we been playing at somewhere like Darlington for example it wouldnt have been as bad, as the fans are quite a way back from the pitch but at Braintree, fans are a mere foot or two from the players so every word can be heard.
As we trudged back to the car we felt quite punch drunk really. City were poor tonight and after we had a great time at the first two games this was a real body blow. Had we lost 4-3 and had a go it wouldn't have been as bad. Braintree weren't brilliant but they had easily beaten us. Even if Bratintee had had us four hoppers at playing at the back today, i am sure they would have kept a clean sheet. We left the ground and headed for the King Kebab shop. As we grazed away on our food we wondered what was next? Quite a few fans had been very vocal in their wishes for Steve Tilson to leave. I for one am not in that boat. No club gets anywhere chopping and changing managers every season. Others want the chairman out. That's fine but who wants to takeover? I am the first to admit that he has made mistakes but as he admits he only took the job because nobody else stood for it. We dont have a devine right to beat anybody. Each and every side in this division have one thing in common. We all deserve to be in this division.
We have a new side and it going to take time to gel as a unit. Its only a couple of games since we played Stockport County off the park and everybody was singing our praises.
Have we hit rock bottom? I don't know and we wont know for a good few years yet when we can look back. Manchester City fans look back at the 2-1 defeat at York City in 1998 as the club's lowest point. Could Braintree be Lincolns lowest point? Or is there worse to come? Whatever happens we will be there. On a final point i don't see why everybody said Braintree was a dump. Yes it could do with a lick of paint but for me its no worse than most grounds at this level. Its good to see a club like Braintree doing well and i wish them all the best for the rest of the season (apart from when they play at Lincoln of course).
So what of Non league day? I think i speak for all the guys when i say that we had a throughly enjoyable day until the last game kicked off. Well done to the three host clubs, the League, and the Blue Square for putting all this together. Roll on next year!
Although the video below perfectly sums up our mood after the Lincoln game I will leave you with the immortal words of Mr Del colle.
" Lincoln were shite but at least we ate well" Amen to that sir!
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| Left to right. Gary,Lee,Barry (Baz) |
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| The three Musketeers! |
Throughout the day we had heard from various fans of the different clubs telling us how much of a dump Braintree was so we were quite unsure as to what to expect. The area around the ground may not have been the nicest but a hell of alot better than the likes of Hull, Bradford, and Doncaster etc.
As with most places you visit first impressions count. Due to the segregation we could not get to the clubshop from inside the ground to purchase the club badge but a club official kindly let us in to visit the shop. It was stocked with all the normal items and also had plenty of DVD copies of Braintrees 5-0 demolition of Grimsby for sale. The programme was £2 and although it looked quite smart didn't have all that much to read in it. We got chatting to a club steward who recommend the "King Kebab" Kebab shop for post match refreshments. He told us about the plans the club have to move to a new stadium but i got the impression that it is still a couple of years away.
As we came out of the clubshop we again saw the Blue Square girls and this time they were handing out free "I did the Blue Square treble" Commemorative T-shirts to the hoppers who had traveled on the coach. We asked nicely if we could have one as we had indeed seen all three games and they seemed only to keen to get rid of them.
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| Imps fans behind the goal. |
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| Main Stand |
Throughout the day i had managed to resist the temptation to buy any food at any of the grounds. But as we were stood right next to the snap hut i eventually succumbed and purchased a hotdog for £3. It wasn't great but it did the trick. The other guys just had a tea which went down quite well.
 |
| One triple burger please with bacon, double cheese and no salad Oh and a diet coke |
As the game wore on the fans became more and more annoyed with both the players and the manager. At the final whistle the players came over to applaud the fans only to be meet by a barrage of insults as the fans told them in no uncertain terms what they thought of their "efforts". A couple of players led by captain Josh Gowling to their credit came over to try and talk to the fans and claim the situation down. In my 17 years supporting City i have never seen the fans as angry and wound up as this. Had we been playing at somewhere like Darlington for example it wouldnt have been as bad, as the fans are quite a way back from the pitch but at Braintree, fans are a mere foot or two from the players so every word can be heard.
We have a new side and it going to take time to gel as a unit. Its only a couple of games since we played Stockport County off the park and everybody was singing our praises.
Have we hit rock bottom? I don't know and we wont know for a good few years yet when we can look back. Manchester City fans look back at the 2-1 defeat at York City in 1998 as the club's lowest point. Could Braintree be Lincolns lowest point? Or is there worse to come? Whatever happens we will be there. On a final point i don't see why everybody said Braintree was a dump. Yes it could do with a lick of paint but for me its no worse than most grounds at this level. Its good to see a club like Braintree doing well and i wish them all the best for the rest of the season (apart from when they play at Lincoln of course).
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| Kebabs got a decent enough 8/10 |
So what of Non league day? I think i speak for all the guys when i say that we had a throughly enjoyable day until the last game kicked off. Well done to the three host clubs, the League, and the Blue Square for putting all this together. Roll on next year!
Although the video below perfectly sums up our mood after the Lincoln game I will leave you with the immortal words of Mr Del colle.
" Lincoln were shite but at least we ate well" Amen to that sir!
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