There is of course the small matter of negotiating the remaining four league two fixtures but Steve Tilson waved the starters flag on Wednesday evening for what is expected to be a lively close season at Sincil Bank. A large number of triallists featured in the reserves defeat against Middlesbrough. In fact, of the team at the beginning, only one player was actually registered to the Imps as Tilson signalled his intentions for what we are presuming to be a fairly comprehensive clear out, budget constraints allowing of course.
First , however we must complete the remaining games and the not inconsiderable obstacle offered by Bury who started off City’s alarming habit of being comprehensively thumped at home, winning 5-0 back in November. Since then they’ve lost their manager to you know who but have hardly broken stride and sit in second place. Anything other than another mauling could be considered a result but there again no one was particularly looking forward to Crewe and that turned out alright and might have been even better had the referee not decided that a team higher up the league should be deserving of a penalty but the more lowly placed must be faking it.
Sadly, consideration of matters up at the business end of the table are fast becoming a distant memory and we concentrate instead on the desperate end of the league and Stockport are becoming more detached with every game that passes. In fact City must mirror what the Hatters do, and that includes a loss, for one more game and if they do that will only have to fear being overtaken by one team to avoid the drop, for Stockport are eleven points adrift of the Imps and after Friday there will be nine points to play for. Burton have now caught up with everyone else in games but remain two points behind City and Northampton a point behind them. Barnet looked like making a real fist of their survival fight but, having lost their manager after a very short stay seem to be slipping back to their old ways and in reality the writing has been on the wall for them for some time, not wishing to tempt providence. It’s a sad state of affairs to be writing all this for the second, or is it the third or fourth season running and it’s to be hoped you all enjoyed those play off games and two final appearances because a return to those days looks a long way off. If our esteemed manager and his assistant can get us anywhere near them anytime soon they will deserve their open top bus tour. Has anyone told them in these parts we do that even for teams that don’t win anything? Generous souls that we are, or starved of success, take your pick.
After Bury it’s Sincil Bank on Monday afternoon for the visit of Cheltenham, surely a good chance of a win there? Then it’s Oxford away, well we’ve never done that well there until the dog days of the U’s demise when we finally did manage a win and then Aldershot at home and that’s it, that’s yer lot. Four, five points from that lot do we think. Just to sell a few season tickets? Would be nice, just like the weather.
We now turn our minds to voting for the player of the season, something of a hollow competition after the terrible season we’ve all endured. Wonder who’ll win, can’t begin to guess?