Imps just one victory away from a playoff place

By Nathan Jackson
April 18 2007

A vital victory over promotion rivals Bristol Rovers would guarantee the Imps a playoff place at the end of the season. It would be the first time the Imps have guaranteed a playoff place before the final game of the season, but it is one of the toughest games that City could have this weekend.

In the previous 4 seasons the Imps have been challenging for promotion, never quite doing it and not quite earning the promotion that we deserve. We’ve watched several sides go up undeservedly in our place and the joke appears to not be ending anytime soon. 3 years ago Hull City won automatic promotion after several years of midtable mediocrity in the 4^th tier, they followed this up by winning promotion to the Championship 12 months later.

 

2 years ago the Imps saw 2 teams that had been close to relegation just 12 months earlier win promotion. Scunthorpe United probably deserved promotion over the course of the last few years. They stuck by Brian Laws, keeping him as manager for many years (barring a 3 week spell in the 2003/4 season when he was fired) and he eventually put together a side capable of winning promotion. Yesterday Scunthorpe won promotion to the Championship, and for a side that finished 22^nd in what was then known as Division 3 just 36 months ago, this is heaven but also pure frustration as they turned from an average 4^th tier side to a 2^nd tier side in the same time that Lincoln have stayed in this division.

 

Then we get to Southend United, Southend bloody United. Southend had been relegation fodder for many years in this division, then one good season later and they fluke beating the Imps in the Playoff Final. In the season their only meaningful shots on target against the Imps were two incredibly dodgy penalty division, and the Playoff Final was no different. They didn’t have a meaningful shot on target until the 104^th minute after being second best for virtually the entire game. After undeservedly going up from League 2, they won League 1 just 12 months later and have spent this season getting amusingly beaten near enough every week in the Championship.

 

Then we get onto Swansea, promoted from League 2 in the same year as Scunthorpe and Southend, again another side that had come incredibly close to relegation to the Conference in previous years. With Lee “fatboy” Trundle scoring the odd goal here and there, they went on to win automatic promotion before then making the League One playoff final, losing eventually to Barnsley.

 

Even Carlisle United, probably the most undeserving Champions in recent years, are close to getting into the League One playoffs this season. Now surely if a poor Carlisle side have a chance of a 3^rd promotion in 3 years, then it shows how poor we are.

 

In recent months the Imps have turned a promotion chasing season, into a season where all the Imps fans have become disillusioned with poor performances, even worse goals conceded, and some of the weakest backbones ever seen in a football manager. John Schofield’s refusal to criticise his players has cost the Imps promotion. Players such as Ryan Amoo have gotten away with gutless and spineless performances nearly all season and yet the management refuse to remove him from the squad. Surely they can’t be that blind.

 

We’ve watched time after time that opposition beat us with pretty much their only shots on goal. Rochdale, Stockport, Darlington, Mansfield, Accrington Stanley, Shrewsbury and Bury have all taken points off the Imps without ever really impressing. They’ve scored lucky goals when the Imps’ concentration level turned into the same amount of seconds as Linford Christie running a 2cm race.

 

Performances have turned from brilliance to baffling and the Playoffs just seem a gateway to being more torture for the Imps this season. Just like the vast majority of our set pieces, the performances seem to be miles off target, barely even troubling the opposition and it says it all that a side who had won just twice this calendar year came to Sincil Bank and comfortably beat the Imps.

 

Bristol Rovers are one of just 6 sides that the Imps have faced every year since this whole playoff chasing nightmare began back in August 2002. In that time the Imps have struggled against Bristol Rovers, managing just 3 wins in the 9 games and the Imps are often outplayed by the southern side. Infact City have failed to win at Bristol Rovers in that time, the last victory coming back in 2002 when Justin Walker scored with a late late free kick to give City their 2^nd (and final) away victory of the 2001/2 season.

 

Earlier this season saw a great turn around in our performances against Bristol Rovers with City unfortunate to only score one goal in a game that was dominated by City. Jamie Forrester’s penalty separated the two sides but City could have easily scored 4 or 5 that night as Bristol Rovers didn’t have a shot until the very last minute, a shot that didn’t even come close to troubling Alan Marriott.

 

City’s recent form has been distressing to say the least and you’re more likely of choosing the winning lottery numbers than guessing what team and tactics John Schofield will employ as each game goes by. The only position seemingly guaranteed is that of Alan Marriott in the goal. With Nat Brown serving the last game of his suspension and Lee Beevers rumoured to be suffering with a dislocated shoulder, the defence could make for interesting debate, although it is likely that Paul Morgan will start in place of Beevers.

 

The midfield is basically just a question of who Schofield wants to drop to allow Holmes to play. With Frecklington still likely to be out with his back injury (sustained whilst in the cotton wool the club are trying to wrap him in before selling him to a Championship side in the summer), it should mean the midfield quartet staying the same. The forward positions are likely to see Forrester make his first return to Bristol Rovers since leaving them in the summer, he will be looking for just his 4^th goal since the turn of the year. Mark Stallard is likely to partner him.

 

I initially predicted Bristol Rovers to be challenging for automatic promotion following a very strong finish to last season, a run they are emulating this season. After a slow start to the season, they finally woke up just as the Imps started to fall asleep. They record a perfect 5 wins out of 5 in the same November that City lost 4 out of 4. Throughout the season they’ve gone on a lot of good runs, something that the vast majority of other sides haven’t managed.

 

Arguably the sweetest moment for Bristol Rovers fans was beating Bristol City in the Southern Final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy. Despite that, they failed to become the first 4^th tier side to beat a 3^rd tier side in the overall final of the competition. That game was played in front of nearly 60,000 people, a figure that must surely be the biggest for a final in that competition.

 

Since that Sunday afternoon at the beginning of the month, Rovers have gained 7 out of a possible 9 points to take them within one point off of the playoff positions. If they beat the Imps they will be just four points behind City with a game in hand, however, if City win then the Imps are guaranteed a playoff place.

 

As the best manager in this country once famously said “It’s squeeze-your-bum time”