Day 183

Josh Gowling made the Team of the Week for his man of the match performance against Barrow a few days ago.

I began my search in earnest today for a fill-in right winger. While I’m willing to give Laurent and Russell the opportunity to establish themselves in the team, I’m not going to ignore my options in bringing in someone of Shuker’s calibre.

I asked Assistant Manager Curtis Woodhouse to look into loan player availabilities, while I plunged into our scouting network for leads. Most of the players I found weren’t up to snuff, but one stood out.

Mark Bradshaw reported on Matteo Alberti a couple of weeks ago, suggesting that he’s of a similar ability to Chris Shuker—albeit as a different kind of winger. I asked my other scout, Ian Gardner, to check him out, and then saw that Italian side San Marino had put an offer in for the lad. I hurriedly offered Alberti a contract, ready to pull out if Gardner says no.

I don’t know what my chances are like of securing the midfielder’s signature. He’s Italian, which would likely see him favour San Marino, but he’s been playing in England for much of the past four years.

In other news, Michael Richardson rejected my offer to extend his loan until the end of the season—which means he’ll be returning to Newcastle in two days. We’ll miss him and his impressive work rate.

[I started this blog six months ago today. Wow, can’t believe I managed to get a post up every day for half a year (excepting the one day early on where Steam for Mac was broken). Here’s to a strong second half.]

Day 182

With today’s match just two days after the victory against Barrow, I was forced to make changes. Robson, Kanouté, and Park came in at the back, with Nutter dropping to the bench and Bore and Gowling rested. Woods looked tired but was kept in an unchanged midfield. I rested Koroma, with Laurent starting alongside Barnes-Homer in attack. New boy Ben May took his place on the bench.

Wrexham are a strong team, so I told the team to defend in numbers and attack quickly. We’re usually good on the break and defensively suspect against quality opposition. I thought this approach would be a nice balance between our usual open and free-flowing attacking play and the need to be tighter at the back.

Shuker went down injured on the eight-minute mark. He didn’t get back up, and had to be stretchered off the pitch. Trying to put my worries aside about the extent of the injury, I told Laurent to drop back to the midfield and substituted Ben May in to the attack for his debut appearance.

May got right into the thick of things, laying off passes and headers for Barnes-Homer and Woods. He looked comfortable out there, and a one-two with Laurent led to his first chance. The striker rose well to meet Laurent’s cross, but he couldn’t keep the header on target.

The first clear-cut chance of the game went to Wrexham in the 25th minute. Putnins could only parry a powerful long-range shot, and Wrexham striker Andy Morrell should have scored the rebound. Putnins did well to save both that and a chance from the resultant corner. Less than a third of the way through the match, Wrexham had already given us more trouble than any other team in the past several matches.

In the 29th minute they made us feel it. Morrell flicked Ryan Blake’s corner across the face of the goal, and Mark Creighton climbed above Kanouté to head past Putnins. One-nil behind for the first time in a while, I hoped my players would react well.

Barnes-Homer should have converted Olembé’s cross three minutes later for an equaliser, but he snatched at the chance. At the other end, Marques cleared off the line and Kanouté threw his body in front of the ball to prevent Wrexham’s second.

Neither of them could do anything to stop Morrell on 40 minutes. The Wrexham striker turned with the ball on the edge of the box and hit a thunderous drive into the top corner, doubling his team’s lead.

Disaster struck on the brink of half-time when my star player Salomon Olembé had to come off injured. He landed awkwardly after a tackle from Daniel Alfei. Wrexham weren’t taking any prisoners, and now my two best players had left the field with injuries. We looked powerless to get anything from the game.

Needing to try something drastic, I switched to a three-man defence for the second half. Paul Robson came off for Alan Power, who slotted in alongside Woods in central midfield. Richardson got defensive midfield duties, with Laurent and Russell manning the wings. If we were going to lose, we’d lose in style and we’d lose attacking.

The players responded immediately. Laurent crossed from deep in the 49th minute to Barnes-Homer, who was loitering with intent around the penalty spot. The striker powered his header past Maxwell for our lifeline back into the game.

Desperation and a little luck were all that stood between us and a spirit-shattering two-goal deficit for the following 20 minutes. Wrexham repeatedly went close, and looked certain to score on two separate occasions, but somehow we held on.

Kanouté hurt himself in a challenge on 87 minutes and had to come off, leaving my exhausted players to fight for a last-minute equaliser with ten men.

Of course it was too great a task. Wrexham held out for the 2-1 win. Credit goes to player/manager and former Coventry star Andy Morrell for a big game right when it mattered. He was the difference between the two sides, and without Olembé and Shuker to pull the strings we simply had no answer to him.

Our unbeaten away run finally ended, we worried more about the health of the team and the impact this draining defeat would have on their morale. Mansfield were held to a draw, so we’re still top of the league, but our position is now in jeopardy.

The physio reported that Kanouté is fine but Shuker will be out for six to seven weeks with a groin strain and Olembé will sit the next two weeks on the sidelines. The good news is that our next match is not until the 14th, which is nearly two weeks from now, and it’s only an FA Trophy tie with York.

Olembé could potentially return just in time for the league game that follows four days later against Newport County. Shuker’s likely to miss at least eight games. I’ll have to consider bringing someone in on loan to replace him, although Russell and Laurent could both possibly handle the job.

Day 181

Striker Ben May arrived at the club today, as my first January signing. Conal Platt headed out in an exchange deal with Stevenage. May has his work cut out breaking into the first team, with both Koroma and Barnes-Homer in great form, but he’s a quality player and he gives us something different. He plays as a target man, throwing his body around to win headers and bring teammates into the game.

We’re slight underdogs for tomorrow’s trip to Wrexham, with odds of 13-8 against their 6-4 for a win. Wrexham’s manager told the press that we have “everything needed” to cause his team problems “and indeed beat [them].” Nice to see a gaffer with his head screwed properly onto his shoulders. We have the ability to destroy them, but by the same token they have the ability to close us out and score a few goals of their own.

They have an added advantage in that their match yesterday was postponed due to bad weather, which means that they’re fresh. Several of my players are noticeably tired, and that could take its toll if the match stays tight until the end.

I offered my transfer-listed players to other clubs, asked if we could extend Richardson’s loan until the end of the season, and began my search of the transfer market for a few new faces.

Newcastle accepted my Richardson offer just before midnight. Now we wait to see if the young midfielder is willing to stay on with us for another five months.

Day 180

Putnins made his debut in goal against Barrow today, replacing the injured Joe Anyon. I selected an otherwise unchanged match squad and starting eleven.

Barrow lined up defensively, putting both central midfielders just in front of the back four.

Barnes-Homer could—and perhaps should—have put us in front after just a minute on the clock. Olembé crossed low from deep on the left wing, the ball impossibly sneaking through a crowd of defenders, and found the striker unmarked. Barnes-Homer’s first-time effort was well wide of the post, however.

Gowling scored the opening goal two and a half minutes later. Woods went down on the edge of the box, out near the right wing, after a heavy challenge. Shuker lofted the free kick to the far post, where Gowling stood in acres of space. The big defender nodded the ball in before the Barrow keeper could react.

Barnes-Homer scored a stunning goal in the 15th minute, weaving through the Barrow defence before sliding the ball beneath the keeper from close range.

I subbed Shuker and Woods out at half time, with an eye on the trip to Wrexham in two days. I didn’t need them for the rest of this match—we were absolutely and totally in control.

We continued to dominate the match well into the second half. Koroma twice went close to adding a third goal, but it was Josh Gowling who popped up for his second. This time it was an Olembé corner and a brilliant attacking header from the defender. He now has an incredible seven goals in the league this season. That’s more than most starting strikers (not mine, though).

Olembé left the field immediately after the goal—rested just like Woods and Shuker.

The goal-fest wasn’t over yet. Barnes-Homer pounced on the rebound to Simon Russell’s shot in the 64th minute, adding his second and our fourth goal of the match.

Brave defending prevented Laurent from making it five with 15 minutes to play. Barrow were in a real mess, outclassed, outpaced, and outmanoeuvred. It was with a fatalistic despair, then, that they watched Russell’s phenomenal 30-yard strike fly into the top corner in the 86th minute. At 5-nil up, we looked like a championship-winning team. And that’s precisely what I hoped we would be.

It was an utterly comprehensive victory, and surely a great confidence booster for all the players—especially Barnes-Homer, who’s struggled to find the net of late.

As for the man making his debut, Putnins touched the ball 18 times. You wouldn’t have known it from watching the game, though. Barrow managed just two shots—one of which was from long range—and three corners, and they never once tested the keeper—who appeared more spectator than player.

I’ve done so well with the team so far this season that the board offered me an official change to our season expectations. I had told them at the beginning of the season that we’d challenge for promotion. I’ve now declared that we’ll win the league. In exchange, I get my wage budget increased to £18,616 a week (from £15,931).

Chris Shuker had another great month in training. Chris Atkinson and Michael Richardson were also excellent.

Lionel Messi won World Player of the Year. No surprises there.

Simon Russell’s strike today against Barrow earned third place in the Blue Square Bet Premier Goal of the Month award. Meanwhile, I scooped the Manager of the Month award for the first time—having come second once and third twice.

I think today was a good day.

Day 179

We’re described as “firm favourites” for tomorrow’s clash with 23rd placed Barrow. We’ve gone five consecutive games without defeat; they haven’t won any of their last five matches. Anything but a big Lincoln win will be considered an upset.

Barrow’s key man is actually a Lincoln player. Central defender Danny Hone is on a season-long loan. I wasn’t around when the deal was made, but it looks like he’s eligible to play against us. That doesn’t strike me as a very sensible strategy. What if he gets man of the match and leads Barrow to victory?

Apparently Barrow’s manager is in the comedy business. He said that if we beat them, “Of course” we’ll be in a strong position for promotion. Because beating a team with four wins and 14 losses from 23 games is always a big indicator as to whether you can push for promotion. (Yeah, right.) If we lose, that means something (and it’s not positive). If we win, it’s nothing.

Elvijs Putnins arrived at the club for a three-month loan spell today. Just in time, too. I was worried that I’d have to field Chris Adamson in goal. Putnins needs match fitness, but he’s a quality player—so I think he’ll be okay to play tomorrow.

Ian Bennett flatly refused to demean himself by coming to play for a Conference team. It’s his loss. He can sit out the final days of his career as Huddersfield’s fourth-choice goalkeeper if that’s what he wants to do. Pride causes people to make odd decisions sometimes.

Day 178

Both of yesterday’s hurriedly sent loan offers were accepted. Now I wait to see if Ian Bennett and Elvijs Putnins have any interest in donning the Lincoln jersey for a few months. I pray that they do.

Day 177

Shit. Goalkeeper Joe Anyon was injured in training today. He’ll be out for at least five weeks.

Given that our current next-best keeper is goalkeeping coach Chris Adamson, who isn’t very good at all, we’re in serious trouble. I put in short-term loan bids for Elvijs Putnins and Ian Bennett, knowing that we might not be allowed to bring anyone in before January but hoping we could.

At the very least, I need a replacement at the club and ready to play Monday’s match against Wrexham. That’s just five days from now, and probably too soon to get someone sorted after the transfer window opens. Adamson will probably be good enough in the meantime—no offence intended towards our next opponents Barrow.