As I sat inside Sincil Bank with half an hour to go until kick-off, I still believed Lincoln would pull off an escape from relegation…but maybe with a little help from Port Vale.
The crowd was far bigger than I had witnessed earlier in the season and the atmosphere was electric. From the first whistle, Lincoln seemed to show a bit of intent and that they knew just what was at stake. But Lincoln failed to turn their possession into chances and went in goalless at the break. With Barnet also level at Port Vale, Lincoln were safe at half-time.
One of my university friends, who supports Barnet, was at Underhill for the Bees clash with Port Vale. We had exchanged texts prior to kick-off and both felt nervous as events unfolded. We had spoken a few weeks previously when Lincoln still had several games left to get the three points that would take them to the magic 50 mark. We had been hoping Lincoln and Barnet could both somehow escape the drop, with the Bees at that time looking at a mission impossible scenario to stay up…how on earth did it end up in a final-day scrap?
Due to the nerves of the situation he decided he didn’t want any updates from the Lincoln game after half-time and what was meant to be would be. Well, Barnet scored very early in the second half from the penalty spot and once Lincoln conceded the first goal against Aldershot everyone must have feared the worst. When Lincoln fall behind they struggle to respond and that was proven as they let in a further two soft goals.
Despite having seen this familiar scenario from Lincoln previously this season, I still couldn’t believe what I was witnessing given just what was at stake. This wasn’t just any old game, Lincoln’s Football League status depended on it, so where was all the hunger, passion, desire and, most importantly, the urgency to win? Even when they fell 1-0 behind the Imps didn’t seem to show more determination to find an equaliser.
A big cheer suddenly erupted and news filtered through via some people near me that Vale had scored against Barnet….well I still have no idea where that came from as Barnet won 1-0.
I knew Lincoln were not the play-off chasing side they had been previously, but I never thought I would be witnessing them dropping out of the Football League. Even reflecting on it now, I simply can’t believe how it all unfolded, especially after the victory over Southend when things looked safe.
The Imps now have to accept they will be playing Conference football. But the Conference isn’t what it used to be. It now seems that if you don’t get instant promotion back to the Football League, you can get stuck in the abyss of the Conference for several years with no idea when you will return to League Two.
So what next for the Imps?
There are several issues to resolve next season. Opinion will be divided on whether Steve Tilson should remain as manager but chairman Bob Dorrian has already given the former Southend chief his backing. But, regardless of a manager’s reputation and how well they have been thought of in the past, relegation can make fans want them out…which is an understandable initial reaction as emotions are running high.
Personally, I don’t think Tilson is the problem. When you consider what was at stake against Aldershot, not enough of the players showed the right attitude, especially in the second half. So the players really need to take responsibility and start asking questions of themselves.
Many fans will think it is going to be a complete rebuilding process with many players likely to move on. While there will be restrictions in terms of the wage bill so some players will have to go, others cannot guarantee that they will get any offers from a Football League club. If they weren’t good enough to keep Lincoln up, they can’t take it for granted that they will get back in the Football League.
Maybe the players should think ‘actually we got them in this mess, we need to stay and make sure the club gets instant promotion’. If Lincoln had fielded 11 Paul Greens on Saturday, it might have been a different story, as from what I’ve seen, his attitude is absolutely spot on. There are some very talented players in the squad, but for some reason something just hasn’t been right this season and the consequences have been disastrous.
But we have to ignore all the ifs and buts about what has gone wrong in the past and start looking ahead to the future. During a football fans’ lifetime, whatever team he/she supports is bound to have several ups and downs and you just have to take the rough with the smooth. It is going to be harder to attract new players as not many Football League players will want to drop down and play non-league football. Playing in the Conference will not be a nice feeling for the Imps but if the players start showing a lot more belief, I truly believe they can get out of this mess.
Just look at Newcastle. That may have been much higher up the ladder but they turned relegation into a positive, showed a lot more belief and hunger, started winning a lot more games and came away with instant promotion and the Championship title. There is no reason why Lincoln cannot do that in the Conference. It certainly won’t be easy as there are several good sides in the Conference, but Lincoln just have to show no fear and make sure they never repeat the majority of their home performances from the 2010/11 campaign ever again!
However long it takes, the Imps will bounce back and we just have to be patient and stand by them. Many people believe they have let everyone in the City down by getting relegated but they need the fans’ backing more than ever to turn things around. It can be done, everyone just needs to believe….especially the players!
UP THE IMPS!
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