Cod Almighty | Match Report

by Tony Butcher

31 July 2005

Lincoln City 0 Grimsby Town 1

Lincoln have problems, look like a relegation team. Gone are their best players and any hint at football. Throw-ins, that's what they play for. They hit the bar from a long throw flicked on at the near post, then wellied the rebound against the bar. Macca cleared a near-post flick header off the line from a corner and Mildenhall dropped a corner. That's their first half.

Jones prodded wide a curly-wurly cross to the near post. Reddy roamed, Gritton ambled, Parkinson seen. Parkinson scored. Corner flapped to him 25 yards out, flibbled a shot through a thicket, goalie dived over ball.

Kamudimba and Bolland dominated, with our Congaroonian immense. The man played in a different time zone, always with time, even when two were mugging him.

We started with our first XI; they started with six fringers. We gradually took off our first team; they gradually put theirs on. But there was no discernible change until the last 10 minutes. Town ended up with six players without numbers. Jones came on and looked big, old and slow, though sometimes flicking well. Cohen ran around quickly. Stuart Edwards, a trialist, played right wing-back and looked very good, especially going forward.

Colley offered some shade for Heggggarty, who played for the second half, and very well, with determined defending - and he was up against Asamoah, Lincoln's only decent attacker. Colley is bigger, but better, than Crane. Mildenhall caught the ball well, no thrills and spills from opposition shots.

Lincoln's crowd was dismal, with an air of deflation. Town were very comfortable, even playing football, for Albert Kamus and Roland Bolland took control and drove forward with the ball, not lumping long. Albert has an exquisite touch. Still a lot of balls knocked down the channels, mainly by Newey and Jones, but the opponents were rubbish.

Town started with Mildenhall, Crane, Ramsden, Jones (R), McD, Bolland, Kamudimba, Newey, Parkinson, Gritton, Reddy. Town ended with: Mildenhall, Crane, Ramsden, Colley, Edwards, trialist (unnamed), Barwick, Heggggggggarty, Ashton, Cohen, Jones (G). No sign of Whittle, Toner or Palmer. Lukic unused.

Bloomer was their best player by a very long way. So, we've already found one team worse than us.

I didn't park outside the Nail Fairy.