Thoughts and Words

Ron Waller

Lincoln City 1 Wycombe Wanderers 0

And so the unbeaten away run of 2008 comes to a crashing end with a one nil defeat that should have certainly been by two, and probably three or four. Wanderers fans traipsed out of Sincil Bank bemoaning a lack of creativity, a lack of balance in midfield and a lack of tactical awareness from Paul Lambert. We’ve been here before haven’t we?

The loudest concern by far is that the midfield is unbalanced, in that it’s far too defensive. Well, it’s not unbalanced if your tactics are to dominate the midfield, break everything up, win all the second balls, and create 3 or 4 half chances, bank on someone taking one and then defend the lead for the rest of the game. At times it works, and Holt, Doherty and Lennon hunted in packs in the first half, like three ex-Premier League bullies, occasionally forcing the ball through for Knight or McGleish to almost get in behind the Lincoln defence. The midfield isn’t unbalanced if that’s how we want to play but the question remains, would we be playing like that if Paul Lambert hadn’t bought Neil Lennon? And perhaps, if that’s the only way we can play, there’s something to worry about.

The biggest problem looks to be the injury to Sergio. A bruising midfield trio with Sergio in front of them is one thing; unfortunately having Matt Bloomfield in that role is another. Time will tell just how important Sergio’s flair and invention is to this team, and it may well hit home when a fat cheque from Nottingham Forest arrives in the post this summer. On Saturday, this Wycombe side looked bloated – full of experience and cynicism but lacking in guile and charm.

It doesn’t help when you’re playing Lincoln City, on a sunny day, at a ground just on the right side of ramshackle, backed by a glorious view of the cathedral in the distance and the river running cheerfully alongside the away end entrance. This game was the last before Lincoln manager Peter Jackson begins treatment for throat cancer, and both sets of players and fans were on their feet to give a moving reception for him prior to the game. Yet emotion surrounding Sincil Bank seems to have more resonance due to their position as a genuine community club. Jackson was the democratically-selected choice of Lincoln’s fans, via the clubs biggest share-holder – the Supporters Trust.

Their side raised their game in the second half, especially after the introduction of Dany N’Guessan with half an hour to go. Frank Fielding made several saves to keep Wycombe in it, but there’s little he can do about the eventual winner. Perhaps the problem with looking to nick games with defensive performances and half chances, is that every so often you’ll come undone by sheer quality. There was no-one to blame when a superb piece of skill from Lenell John-Lewis created room for him to spread the ball left to Louis Dodds, whose control was immaculate and curling 20 yard shot as good a finish as you’ll see. Sometimes you concede good goals, and the only answer is to score some yourself. That never looked like happening for Wycombe on Saturday. The monotonous drum beat belted out by an away fan for most of the game replicated the predictable nature of Wycombe’s few attacks.

Lincoln were hardly word beaters in comparison, but had far more in terms of creativity, with John-Lewis particularly impressive. A product of the Grantham Town youth system, the 18-year-old was given a contract by Jackson in December and looks an excellent prospect. For all Wycombe’s steel, Lincoln matched it, with Centre of Excellence graduates Shane Clarke and Danny Hone particularly impressive, the latter picking up the Man of the Match award for his troubles. Jamie Forrester misses an open goal two minutes from time, but there’s little concern from the home crowd that Wycombe will make him pay for it.

This was a deserved win for Lincoln, but the overriding feeling is that the play-offs will still happen and that promotion is still a decent possibility. Yet driving away from Sincil Bank on Saturday, it was difficult not to feel impressed, enthused almost, that there is another way. Lincoln are a club primarily owned by their fans, for their fans, as trite as that may sound. Everywhere you look the Supporters Trust seem active, dynamic in their approach to ensure investment and a future for the club. They make a slight profit as well, practically unheard of for League 2 clubs. Young, home grown players make up most of the team. The ground is made up of new stands, old stands and bizarre tiny stands, but everyone here, and in the Trust Bar afterwards, seems pretty proud of what they’ve got.

I don’t think you can say that at Wycombe at the moment. We’re sixth, but no one seems very happy about it, or at least those storming out the away end on Saturday don’t. The solution, it seems, to this minor wobble and slight setback to Wycombe’s push for the play-offs, is to secure another ex-Premiership player on loan. We will wait and see. It may well be, I suppose.

I have to say that. The last thing anyone round here needs is more cynicism.

03.03.2008. 10:07

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