Lincoln City 0 Gillingham 4

Match 62/10/880 - Saturday, 9 April 2011 - League Two

Lincoln City (0) 0
Gillingham (2) 4 Gowling 20, McDonald 41, Hone (o.g.) 59,
Akinfenwa 69
Att. 3,022

Entrance: £13
Programme: £2.50
Mileage: 380/9,483

Match Report

It is very easy to devalue the performance of your own side by passing comment on the deficiencies of the opposition, so I will say that Lincoln City were absolutely rubbish and move on.

Such is Lincoln’s form that the lads in the local fish and chip shop were predicting that Gillingham would win by a net full, whilst we were far more cautious and were ready to accept that an odd goal success would be enough; those lads knew their stuff and it wasn’t restricted to a decent piece of haddock!

On the back of last week’s disappointing display against Hereford, Andy Hessenthaler drafted in Josh Gowling into the centre of defence to line up against the side for whom he spent a month on loan earlier in the season and Danny Spiller on the right side of midfield, leaving Jack Payne on the bench.

Another impressive away following from Kent numbering 535 were sheltered from the warm spring sunshine in their block of the Co-Op Stand and were left slightly nervous as the home side started the better with ex-Gill Luke Howell bringing a smart save from Alan Julian from a close range header.

Andy Barcham showed that a return to form was to emerge from this match when he outpaced his defender and brought a save from Imps’ keeper Elliott Parish. Gillingham were already staking their dominance and the power of Adebayo Akinfenwa and pace of Cody McDonald were too much for the confidence-lacking Lincoln back line.

There was a sense that once the visitors made the breakthrough the hosts would fold and that first goal came in the 20th minute and almost inevitably it would be Gowling returning to haunt his former loan club. Kevin Maher’s corner was headed in by the Afro-headed one to the joyous acclaim of the Gillingham support. One way traffic now ensued, with Akinfenwa powering a shot that must have burnt the hands of Parish and McDonald rather wastefully blazing over. Howell wanted to prove something to his ex-employers, forcing Julian once again to save, before McDonald notched his 23rd goal of the season converting Barcham’s pin point cross with a well-placed header.

Barcham was provider once more with a through ball for McDonald to outpace the home defence and shoot goalwards, his effort was turned into his own net by Mark Hone and although the Gills ace marksman took the acclaim of the visiting support, I don’t think it will take the dubious goals panel too long to decide that the goal wasn’t his.

Akinfenwa was absolutely magnificent and it was only fitting that the fourth and final goal was his. He started the move and finished it with a diving header from Barcham’s cross. It gave Gills’ fans the luxury of an Easy, Easy chant and many home fans the opportunity for an early tea.

Sincil Bank is the home of my favourite stand in League Two, if not the whole of the Football League. The Lincolnshire Echo Grandstand, with its colourful seating, straddling the halfway line looks a relic of a bygone age but to my surprise was built as recently as 1987. Outside of the ground, Lincoln Cathedral offers an imposing backdrop and would make for a great photograph if we had been seated in the Echo. The rest of the ground is modern and functional with the Gills fans making great use of the acoustics of the Co-op Community Stand.

Overall, results were not particularly favourable in terms of an automatic promotion place but the win at least edges the Gills back into a play-off position.

Lincoln City 2 Gillingham 0

Match 22/08/706 - Tuesday, 28th October 2008 - League Two

Lincoln City (2) 2 Frecklington 11, N'Guessan 14
Gillingham (0) 0
Att. 4,396

Entrance: £17
Programme: £2.50
Mileage: 386/3,042

Match Report

Credit where credit is due. On Saturday I bemoaned the lack of quality in this Division, but last night at a freezing Sincil Bank, for 45 minutes at least, we saw a Lincoln City side that showed the necessary class to mount a promotion challenge.

Two goals in the first 14 minutes left Gillingham with a mountain to climb, one, which on the night, they were a long way off getting to even first base. High on confidence that a seven game unbeaten run brings, Lincoln out played their visitors in every department. After a relatively bright start, Gillingham were hit by two goals in four minutes. A cross from the right from Paul Green saw a Lee Frecklington header opening the scoring. My first impression was that Simon Royce had made to come for the cross and stopped, but question marks must also be pointed at the central defenders who failed to make a meaningful challenge.

Gillingham found themselves almost out of the game with just another four minutes added to the clock. A move broke down in midfield and a single pass from a Romanian, Adrian Patulea, to a Frenchman, saw Danny N’Guessan racing clear of the Gillingham defence. As he bore down on goal he still had a lot to do, but finished with an unstoppable drive into the top left.

Secure in their lead, Lincoln started to stroke the ball about with a cockiness that can only be bought with confidence. One sublime piece of skill, unfortunately I’ve no idea which Lincoln player produced it, was worthy of Soccer AM’s showboating section and once he had bought the space, Lincoln then embarked on a passing piece of about 20 or so, that had their home fans giving it the big ole. Only twenty minutes gone and they were taking the piss.

Gillingham were being thoroughly dominated in midfield and a front three of Mulligan, McCammon and Barcham were getting no joy from a solid Lincoln back line that included two outstanding central defenders in Kovacs and Hone. As the odd Gillingham attack broke down the visitors were getting caught on the break as Lincoln responded with pacy counter-attacks. Several opportunities were passed up as we prayed that our favourites could at least get to the break no worse off.

Thankfully, Lincoln failed to reproduce their first half form in the second and we had more of an even contest. Albert Jarrett came on for the injured, but ineffective McCammon, and once again produced a little cameo from the bench. There was a misguided feeling that should we get a goal back we could exert some panic in the closing minutes but by the time the final whistle sounded our shots on target count totalled precisely none.

When it comes to giving credit, lets give our travelling support some. Despite a poor weather forecast (snow was falling heavily not too many miles west) and that depressingly poor away record over a long period of time, 322 turned out. Initially shoe-horned into a small block the Lincoln stewards had to open the section behind to accommodate a far greater number than the 50 to 100 they had be told to expect. They were in good voice prior to the goals but obviously became more subdued and frustrated as the game unfolded.

Sincil Bank is these days all-seated and they have one of those old, full of character grandstands that are sadly being lost in these days of prefabricated ordinariness. Albeit an advertising hoarding, but the arched Lincolnshire Echo sign sets it off. The rest of the stadium is less than inspiring, small box-shaped enclosures behind each goal and whilst the stand that housed the Gillingham support is substantial in size it has the opposite in character to its facing counterpart.

As the temperature dropped to zero, the ride home was at least snow free and we can be thankful for that given the abandonment at Wycome, Luton and Swindon. We can reason that at one point in this match we faced another humiliation and we came out of it with nothing more than having been beaten comfortably. Simeon Jackson is a big loss and the quicker he gets fit the better because no shots on goal can only mean no goals scored. But the performance that Lincoln produced in the first half is the standard we need to attain to mount a meaningful challenge of our own.