The Imps started the evening propping up the League Two table, but came out of the traps quickly in last night’s game and were two up within 22 minutes and Robins’ manager Mark Yates was seething at the final whistle admitting he was “frustrated, disappointed and angry”.
That anger was abundantly apparent after the game when a local cameraman – surprised at how quickly Yates had come out to face the media – was unprepared. Yates asked him to “please sort yourself out” (I’m paraphrasing here – the first word wasn’t “please”). Fair enough, it’s our job to be ready and waiting and Yates was understandably fuming about the result and performance.
One of the players later told me that their day off today had also been cancelled and so I guess at least the cameraman still had the option of a lie in if he wanted it.
My clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun
Lincoln had suffered a horrendous four hour, traffic congested coach journey to Gloucestershire, missing out on their pre-match meal and arriving only 45 minutes before kick-off and so Yates was right in assuming that they would be the ones to start slowly.
Unfortunately Cheltenham looked as though they were the ones who were unprepared.
In the 10th minute Gavin McCallum’s corner was headed back across the face of goal by Delroy Facey and when co-striker Ashley Grimes nodded the ball against the post, midfielder Stephen Hunt prodded in his first goal since joining on a one month loan deal from Notts County last week.
Twelve minutes later Midfielder Josh O’Keefe side-footed a chip form 30 yards which floated over Scott Brown for his second goal of the season – and what a cracker it was.
It was at this point that Cheltenham woke up and, while I understand Yates annoyance with the display in the first 22nd minutes, I think that the players then woke up – possibly spurred on by the knowledge of what was coming once they got back to the dressing room.
In the 31st minute Robins’ winger Josh Low floated over a beautiful cross from the right and Frankie Artus leaped – dare I say like a salmon? – to nod in from about eight yards.
In the second half Cheltenham were mounting attack after attack, but full credit to Lincoln, they dug deep and held on for the win which delighted boss Steve Tilson who rightly said:
“What I like more than anything is that the team spirit and togetherness is getting there. We may have been lacking that a little bit. I think we could have had two or three goals in the second half.”
Not sure about that Steve, but they definitely deserved what he called a “fantastic” win.
Yates blasted:
“I’m as disappointed as I have been in them tonight. I apologise to the supporters. 2-0 down after twenty-five minutes is rubbish and that just about sums it up. The players have let themselves down with that performance and we’ve got some soul searching to do.”
Presumably that starts this morning on the training pitch. I wonder if there’ll be a cameraman there to record it?
Song artist: Throwing Muses
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