Michael Woods was passed fit for today's match, so I put him on the bench instead of Chris Atkinson. We went otherwise unchanged into the home tie with Braintree.
We came out firing. Barnes-Homer tested the keeper from close range just 25 seconds into the match. Braintree barely touched the ball during the opening five minutes.
The first goal came just before the 14-minute mark. Park threw the ball in from the left wing to Barnes-Homer, who had run to the byline. The striker turned and crossed at hip-height towards the penalty spot. Shuker moved into position and volleyed first-time past the Braintree keeper, who was frozen to the spot.
Shuker nearly scored again three minutes later from a direct free kick, but the keeper got his fingertips to it and the ball bounced clear off the bar. A follow-up header had to be hacked off the line.
We went close several more times over the following ten minutes, with shots from Barnes-Homer, Richardson, and Power. Then Braintree returned the pressure, hitting the post and putting our boys on the back foot for the first time in the match.
A brilliant run through the Braintree defence should have ended with a goal for Koroma on 40 minutes, but McDonald was having none of it. The keeper saved well to preserve his side's one-goal deficit.
Koroma went down injured early in the second half, battling for the goal he deserved. I thought he should have been awarded a penalty, but the free kick went the other way—Russell brought down a Braintree player. I introduced Sam Smith to replace Koroma.
Disaster struck in the 51st minute when McCammon got in behind our defence. Unable to keep up with the striker, Marques slid in with a make-or-break challenge. He missed the ball but took the man, and was sent off for a professional foul. We were left to play the remaining 40 minutes with ten men and without our influential skipper.
I moved Park into central defence and replaced Russell with Olembé, who slotted in at left back—ready to man the entire left side by himself. Knowing that we'd need more running power, I also swapped Power for Woods. Power was looking tired, and Woods has the better speed and stamina.
Olembé went out with a lot of heart, easily handling the duties of two players—left full-back and left winger. But it was Smith who created our second goal. Winning the ball just over the halfway line, he sprinted deep into Braintree territory. It looked as though he might go it alone, but when the defenders closed in he crossed to empty space around the penalty spot. Racing in, Barnes-Homer arrived first on the scene. The striker expertly tucked it into the back of the net for his 12th goal of the season. Victory looked assured.
Barnes-Homer could have scored another in stoppage time, after a loose ball fell at his feet just outside the box. But he snapped at the shot, when there was time to take a few touches and move into the area, and it sailed high and wide.
An excellent all-round performance marred only by the Marques red card, our big stand-outs were Barnes-Homer and Bore—although Smith and Olembé looked great off the bench. The best news of all, though, was that Mansfield lost to Grimsby. We're top of the table for the first time, one point clear of The Stags.
Bad news on Koroma—he twisted his knee. The striker's looking at four to five weeks on the sidelines, which means that Smith will have to step in right away.
The Braintree manager Alan Devonshire told the press that he "can't see a better team" in battle for promotion than Lincoln. That's a glowing endorsement, but you can hardly blame him for saying it. He just watched his team get torn to shreds by my midfielders and strikers. I like to think he meant it, but I can see the strategic reasons for making such comments disingenuously. It allows him to deflect the blame for the loss onto our supreme ability. If we're set to win the league, of course his team would struggle to even score against us. Smart move.
Meanwhile, we're celebrating today's win like no other it. We're top of the table. That's amazing. Four months ago, I thought we'd struggle to hold down a spot mid-table during the first half of the season, then sneak into the play-offs in the second half. But we're top after 18 games, miles ahead of everyone except Mansfield. Wow.
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