Lincoln City 3-0 Ebbsfleet United

I haven't taken in a Lincoln game for a few weeks. Its even longer since all three regular Retford Imps were at the same City match together. There are several reasons why this has been the case, with some reasons being far more credible that others. Work, Legoland, Ice Hockey etc have all been given as reasons for non attendance. On reviewing these reasons for absence, an independent panel had come to the conclusion that Baz 's trip to Legoland excuse was by far the least satisfactory and that he will need to answer to the three man Kangaroo court on the way to the next away game that we all attend.  It would also help the court if we could get a feeling from the public as to whether or not his defence stands up. So it would be a great help to us if you could take a few seconds to vote in the poll on the right hand side of this blog. Should he be found guilty then he will have to get a round of teas in at the next match. If he is found not guilty (and the chances of that aren't looking great it has to be said) Then his good name will be cleared.

Pre match Kebab and chips whilst planning his defence

There has been quite a lot of activity on the transfer front since the last time i watched the Imps. Danny Hone and Gavin McCallum have left on loan for Barrow and Barnet respectively, while Ali Fuseini and Doug Lindberg have left the club.
To counter this David Holdsworth has recruited midfielders Jake Sheridan and Tyrone Thompson from Eastwood and Halifax FC and striker Luke Medley. I didn't know a whole lot about Sheridan and Medley but  i remember Thompson for an earlier spell he had at Lincoln Under Sir Keith.
I must admit that I wasn't too thrilled at his signing. A wise old Stags fan that i know didn't seem to rate him and he does seem to have become a bit of a journey man. After today however i may have to eat humble pie as he had a decent game . However one swallow doesn't make a summer and all that. Having lost McCallum and Fuseini i was worried about the lack of firepower in the squad. So what goes and happens? Lincoln record their first 3-0 home win since we beat Darlington by the same score in September 2009. Shows what i know doesn't it? Time to have a word with myself i think.
We did our normal pre match routine with Baz opting for Kebab meat and chips whilst i went for the battered sausage and chips option and a freddo frog chocolate bar for pudding.

Lincoln could have been ahead inside of 25 seconds as we nicked the ball from the visitors kick off and sent an effort just wide of the post. Lincoln continued to make all the running in the first half while the visitors struggled to cope with the windy conditions. Upfront Perry was being used as the battering ram with Sheridan playing just behind him. Perry was taking a few knocks and his battle with Ebbsfleet centre half Paul Lorraine was turning into a decent battle with the Lincoln man having the slight edge. Lincoln had to wait till the 38th minute but the goal was well worth the wait. Connal Platt collected the ball, cut inside, then blasted the ball into the top corner. The goal gave Lincoln even more impetus and continued to push forward to try and get the 2nd goal to kill the match off.
HT 1-0
The team were given a great reception as they left the field. The normal crappy stuff went off at halftime as the scores rolled in. As fans chatted about the first half Felice amused himself with a quick game of Angry Birds, which seems to be all the rage at the moment.

Ebbsfleet did have a bit more about them in the second half. Farman in the Lincoln goal made a close range save from Pinney then tipped a long range effort onto the bar to keep the Lincoln lead intact. City killed the game off in the 74th minute when Sam Russell scored with a fierce drive from just inside the area. Game set and match as they say. It got worse for the "Fleet" when Mambo was given his marching orders when he was adjudged to have committed a professional foul when he brought down John Nutter just outside the box.

Nutter took the  free kick himself and scored via a slight deflection off of the defensive wall. Its been a while since we saw a Lincoln side dominate a match like this one and it was great to see so many happy faces at the end.
This win has given Lincoln a five point gap to the dropzone, which is very welcome what with a tricky away trip at York City coming up on Tuesday night. Yes it will be a tough game but if City put as much effort into that game as they did today, its feasible we could get a point. We have already seen some strange results in the league this season so expect the unexpected. David Holdsworth has got the side fighting and certainly putting a lot more effort into the game. Again its very early into his tenure but so far so good. At the end he took the players around the ground to applaud the fans. It will take time for the club to rebuild bridges with the fans after the past few years but DH is going about it the right way.

I couldn't finish this post without a mention for a gentleman who makes Sincil Bank tick on a matchday. After what seems like an eternity head steward Gary Radford is stepping down from his postion on the Stacey West stand. I know from experience its not an easy job being a steward but whatever Gary has had to deal with; be it pissed up fans, fans moaning about stupid shit, pitch invasions, or even blossoming romances between his staff, he has always done it with a smile on his face. If all stewards had his outlook and methods of doing the job then the football world would be a much better place. Good luck mate, and don't be a stranger to Sincil Bank.

All together now "We had the best steward in the league"

On another point as this is my 300th blog post i would just like to thank everybody out there for reading my work. I feel this blog has come along way since i started writing in 2008 and hopefully there is a long way to go yet. I would like to thank all the people who i have travelled with to matches over this time and new friends i have met along the way for being such great company and for giving me something to write about. The last few years have been some of the toughest in Lincoln City's history but i like to think we have had a few laughs along the way.
I should also thank my spell checker and editor because if it wasn't for her then there would be no blog.

The lesser spotted lady groundhopper!

Thank you one and all.