Imps have a chance for survival....Part 2
By Nathan Jackson
April 23 2010
Lincoln City could be 90 minutes away from safety and that doesn't even necessarily depend on other results anymore. City will have guaranteed safety if Grimsby fail to win at Darlington, but just to make sure the Imps will need to win to make absolutely sure, although a draw would probably be enough.
If there's one team that I hate playing then it's Bury. It's not because we rarely beat them, it's not because they have fans about as passionate as a bowl of fruit, it's because they are the most boring team in the division. I can't remember the last time we played Bury and it wasn't amongst the most boring games of the season. They are just dull, very little attacking intent and you just know that when they come to your ground, they're going to just sit back, relax and then score an undeserved equaliser in the last time minutes.
However, it could well be events elsewhere that mean that the game might not be dull. Grimsby Town have to win to stand any chance of catching City. With 8 points separating the Imps and the Mariners with just three to go, Grimsby would have to win all their remaining games and hope that City would lose all three of theirs, even then Barnet are between us and them, so I personally think we're realistically safe.
It just seems strange to think that as crap as City have been this season, we're still in with a very realistic chance of survival. To think that we've had some right shite in our squad this season, Paul Connor, Jamie Clarke, John-Lewis, Khano Smith and many others, we've done well to survive given that these wasters have seemingly done everything in their power to make sure that we struggled.
It's one of the last chances for those with their contracts up to impress Sutton, but given that most haven't impressed for nearly 50 games in League and Cup, they're hardly likely to start now.
Cian Hughton returns from suspension and he will more than likely be a direct replacement for the now re-injured Paul Green. Other than that it's pretty much as you were for the Imps.
| OUR EXPECTED CITY STARTING LINE UP | |
 | Burch has never kept a clean sheet against Bury, nor has he kept a clean sheet for the equivalent of more than half a season, changing those records would virtually secure safety. |
 | It’s been a frustrating season for Hone and even if he impresses in his deserved run at the end of the season, you wouldn’t bet against Sutton dropping him against next year. |
 | <---Nathan Baker Baker continues to impress since returning from injury, although he does have a tendency to go down injured every singe game. |
 | Cian Hughton’s absence from the squad saw two defeats, it may have been a coincidence, it could alternatively be |
 | Anderson looks set to return from an injury, maybe in the pre-season it’s be an idea to get a back up left back given that we had no-one whilst he whilst out injured. |
 | The fact that Kerr is the longest serving player at the club and has never tasted victory over Bury says it all really. He did score a belter against the Shakers in 2007. |
 | Shane Clarke’s playing...... |
 | ß--Matt Saunders At least one of our midfielders knows how to stay out of injury and free from suspension. |
 | <----Steven Lennon Lennon missed some right sitters against Shrewsbury, but I suppose you could say that at least he was in the right position to get the chances in. |
 | <---Davide Somma Somma, the one player who you could actually look at his performances for the Imps and realise that you’re looking at someone who could easily play at a higher level. I would love him to be here next season, but I can’t see. |
 | Gilmour is in pretty much last chance saloon. He looked alright earlier in the season but since then has never really looked the same and didn’t link up well with Somma at all. |
We've met Bury twice in every season since 2001/2, with the most common result being a draw. Only seven of the seventeen games in that time haven't ended in a draw.
It all started when the sides were drawn against each other in the FA Cup in the 2001/2 and an injury time goal from Steve Holmes took the game to a replay after Seddon's opener. David Cameron opened the scoring in the replay before Singh equalised. The penalty shoot out saw City off to a bad start as Battersby missed the Imps' first penalty, however, a save from Marriott, Steve Redmond hitting the post and successful spot kicks from Hamilton and Walker gave City the advantage. Clegg missed Bury's third penalty in a row before Lee Thorpe also missed. Dave Borley put the pressure on Cameron, but the Scot scored the winning goal to set up a Second Round tie at Leyton Orient.
Bury were relegated from what was then known as Division Two that season and the sides met at Sincil Bank in late October and it was a tale of two penalties. Sedgemore gave the Imps the lead before Preece equalised, both from the spot. The second game at Gigg Lane was far different as the Imps couldn't celebrate 4000 Football League games as Bury ran out 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Clegg.
The Imps scored their first goal of the 2003/4 season at Bury as Gary Fletcher (as he was then known) scored the first goal midway through the first half in a goal that literally broke the goal. However, goals from Unsworth and Preece in the last ten minutes gifted Bury a winner. The return game was a comfortable game for the Imps as Taylor-Fletcher and Francis Green put City in a 2-0 lead, Porter pulled one back in added on time.
2004/5 was the only time either side have recorded a double over the other in this recent run of games against each other. Matt Bloomer scored the winner at Gigg Lane from a header before on-loan Craig Westcarr scored a thunderbolt on New Years Day to secure City's double. City haven't beaten Bury since.
A trip to Bury at the beginning of October 2005 saw one of the best goals I've ever seen, and one of the most one-sided games you're ever likely to encounter. The Imps dominated the game and took a deserved lead just before half time when Dean Keates scored a free kick from 40 yards. Marvin Robinson had a goal disallowed a few minutes later and they would hit the post three times in the second half......Bury equalised through Whaley in the 90th minute with pretty much their first realist chance on goal in the whole game. Frecklington equalised from a Pugh goal in the return game.
Baker and Hurst secured three points for Bury in September 2006 and the return trip in January saw City recover from Andy Bishop's early goal through Forrester and Frecklington, it wasn't to be three points though as Fitzgerald equalised within 10 seconds of coming on as a substitute.
Two 1-1 draws followed in the following season. Kerr scored a stunner to give the Imps a lead in the 19th minute before Scott equalised from distance after a Marriott mistake. Marriott had also saved a penalty. A very foggy Sincil Bank on New Years' Day masked what was a poor game. Louis Dodds opened the scoring before poor goalkeeping from Ben Smith gifted Bury an equaliser.
An impressive Bury display last season saw the hosts show how good they are at set-pieces as Morrell, Sodje and Bishop all scored from set-piece situations. Kovacs had equalised in the first half. The return game was dominated by the Imps, but Andy Bishop scored an undeserved equaliser after Ben Wright's controversial opener.
Bury beat City 2-0 earlier this season with goals from Lowe and Worrall.
After having their first good season in many a year last season, Bury appeared to be having a Playoff hangover early on with only two wins before mid-September. Infact the Imps were the first team they scored against at Sincil Bank and that proved to be a bit of impetus for them as they won six of their next eight games. They did go off the boil a bit after that but a run of eight wins in ten games just after Christmas propelled them back into the Playoff campaign.
A recent run over no wins in eight, including three 0-0 draws in a row saw them fall, but two wins in their last four games have put them back up the table. However, they have conceded five in both of their last two away games and they haven't scored on the road since February 6th.
Bury have one former City player, Ben Futcher. The 6'7 defender spent three years at Sincil Bank between 2002 and 2005 before leaving for Boston. They do also have Danny Racchi, a former Huddersfield youngster whom had a failed trial at the Imps after being released by Huddersfield Town.
Infact Bury have a LOT of strikers. They have Andy Bishop, Danny Carlton, Ryan Lowe, Andrew Morrell, Tom Elliott, Keigan Parker and James Poole.......only Keith Alexander had more strikers.
However, the player that could have the biggest impact on the game could be Cameron Belford. The young goalkeeper replaced the sent off Wayne Brown at Cheltenham and subsequently Bury went on to lose 5-2....it was 0-0 when he came on.
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Don't be surprised if Brown does return today, even though Belford did ok after the 5-2 defeat at Cheltenham, having conceded only one goal in two games since he let those five in!
Futcher has started of late but he of the bandana has scored the equaliser last week.
Here we go again!
Will we ever get the right man?