I feared the worst today with the number of players we have missing, but that performance gives me heart for the play-offs. There is no doubt we created the better chances over the ninety minutes and I think we should have won the game.
The match mirrored the game at Prenton Park earlier in the season. In the first half Lincoln were in control and we had to soak up a lot of pressure, albeit we were never outplayed and we defended resolutely. Lincoln were impressive with Akinde an absolute handful up front and the two wide men, Rowe and Andrade, hugging the touchline to really stretch the play and producing some superb deliveries. However, the Imps only had one genuine goalscoring opportunity, for Rowe after about five minutes, and while we were at full stretch defensively at times, we held out relatively comfortably.
In the second half, I think Mellon outfoxed Cowley tactically for the second time this season. The switch to a five man midfield gave us more control, but interestingly it was Harris who played the furthest forward of the midfield trio, and he, Jennings and Norwood linked up to great effect, resulting in the chances referred to above which we should have put away. I also thought Morris and Banks played well after the change of shape. At the end of the game, I was disappointed we had not won, but still proud of the players' efforts when you consider what is going against us at the moment.
Individually, Nelson looked very jittery early on up against their two brutes, but had settled by half time and produced a superb headed clearance from a cross by Rowe. By contrast, as harsh as it sounds, I thought Gumbs looked like an accident waiting to happen when he came on. He made two or three unforced errors, one of which, when he headed the ball straight to Akinde without looking, could easily have resulted in a goal. Manny was immense and did the job of two defenders in the periods when we were under the cosh. Connor Jennings had a particularly good second half and Norwood looked pretty much back to his usual self with some great movement, albeit no finish.
It was a great atmosphere in the ground, with superb backing from the SWA as always, tarnished only by the actions of some of their idiots who invaded the pitch at the final whistle and headed straight for the travelling fans in an attempt to goad them, events which were dealt with ineffectively by the stewards and police.
A good performance and providing we can find two fit centre backs, I think we can be optimistic about the next few weeks.