Sunday 25th October 2009 - Lincoln United 1-3 U's: Deforrestation
As PA announcements go, it was not one which is heard very often at any level of the game: "Would the away supporters please not sit in the black seats - they are reserved for the directors. Please sit only in the red seats!"
We could not complain, though. Those nice people from Lincoln United had already given over their main stand, in fact one whole side of their ground, to the visiting giants from Cambridge, so we could not really begrudge their top brass their day in the sun.
And a day in the sun it certainly was, a bright, temperate if somewhat breezy late October Sunday, perfect for an adventure into the unknown and United's first ever encounter with Lincoln's 'other' club, bumping along near the bottom of Unibond League Division One South with only one win all season, but who had already come through four FA Cup qualifying rounds by defeating the awesome might of Friar Lane & Epworth, Retford United, Jarrow Roofing Boldon Community Association (give us a 'J'!) and Frickley Athletic.
Their cosy Ashby Avenue home is situated in a residential suburb of Lincoln a few miles from the city centre, dotted with care homes and several blocks of flats, and adjoining Hartsholme Country Park. The entrance to the ground, in fact, gave equal billing to the football club and Hartsholme Cricket Club, and its small car park filled very quickly, leaving most visiting supporters to park in the surrounding, very quiet roads.
Inside, a short walk alongside the cricket pitch through guesting Lincoln City stewards took the spectators to a pleasant and welcoming clubhouse, which soon filled with black and amber-sporting visitors, their number very soon outdoing the attendance of 58 which the hosts mustered on Tuesday night for a home defeat by Goole.
The Lincoln players were in there at 1 o'clock to witness the draw for the First Round Proper on TV, and left less than impressed after the decidedly unglamorous prospect of a home tie with Ilkeston Town emerged as the rather limp carrot for a win today. Paul Carden rocked up soon afterwards, having been spotted roaming rather forlornly on the verge of the dual carriageway near Newark after his car had broken down on the way up.
Ashby Avenue is a tidy little venue which is perfectly adequate for its level of football. United's allocation of one entire side included the main stand, a modest four-seats-deep structure set some way back from the pitch, which spectators were forbidden from standing in front of as they would have blocked its occupants' view entirely. There was plenty of standing room either side of the stand, albeit no terracing, just a concrete path with grass behind.
One end of the ground was allocated to a covered terrace (no steps) and the other to the changing rooms, the placement of a wire mesh fence in front of which discouraged anyone from standing at that end. The centrepiece of the opposite side to the main stand was the dugouts, perched upon the central part of which was a quaintly compact and bijou press box. To one side of that was the only other seated part of the ground, a remarkable bus stop-like edifice which offered two tiers of bench seats to its fortunate occupants. The proceedings were filmed by a gentleman with a mini video camera perched precariously on top of the home dugout.
Four floodlight pylons with three bulbs in each swayed gently in the wind along both sides of a reasonably flat pitch covered in grass long enough to lose Courtney Pitt in. The PA, unfortunately, was entirely inaudible to anyone stationed less than ten feet from the loudspeaker at the changing rooms end of the ground, its volume only turned up to listenable level when the announcer wished to deter United supporters from sitting in the directors' hallowed black seats. The red seats were in fact mostly a tasteful shade of sun-bleached pink.
So far, so pleasant: friendly locals, a cheery clubhouse and decent weather in a well-kept, tree-lined, typical non-League venue. One suspected the experience would not be quite so pleasant for the United players, ears still stinging from the criticism following their dismal defeat at Hayes last week. It was also worth recalling that after winning their first two away games this season at Ebbsfleet and Chester, they had endured seven winless matches on their travels, albeit only two of those had ended in defeat.
Lincoln had also made a good effort in the production of their programme, a glossy, colourful publication for what their website had already dubbed their 'big day', bless 'em. There were only two familiar names in their squad list, and of those, ex-Abbey legend Terry 'Gold Tooth' Fleming was sadly absent, leaving only diminutive goal machine Jamie Forrester as a known quantity. He certainly had previous against the U's, and at the age of 34 is still probably capable of playing at a higher level, but, with his own soccer school now established in the area, he clearly has other priorities these days.
Lincoln won the toss and changed ends so that United were playing against the strong wind and into the sun which was already starting a long set behind one goal. Martin Ling had generously given the team which lost last weekend another chance, except for the introduction of Rory McAuley for the suspended Dan Gleeson, and with seven substitutes allowed in the Cup, Andy Parkinson and CRC goal-getter Adam Marriott were added to the existing five.
The U's fans gave their side the usual tickertape welcome and were fairly noisy, contrasting with the silence from the home followers who must inevitably have included many day trippers, glory hunters and Lincoln City fans among their number. The attendance of 837 beat by 564 the previous highest crowd this term at Ashby Avenue for the visit of Frickley in the previous round. Ah, the Magic of the Cup.
United started tentatively, trying to adjust to the blustery conditions, ankle-grabbing grass and sun in their eyes, but the match exploded into life inside four minutes with Lincoln's first shot of the afternoon. It came out of nowhere, and inevitably, it was that man Forrester who struck, turning onto a pass in the middle of the park and smacking a first-time lob-cum-half-volley over a dazzled Danny Potter's head for an unstoppable opener. 1-0.
As the U's reeled, the hosts could so easily have doubled their lead within a minute. A corner from the left found Jon Machin whose header was volleyed off the line by Pitt at the far post, it fell to skipper Brendan McDaid and his shot looked goalbound all the way into the opposite corner until Potter dived full length to make a 'worldie' save to keep United from total humiliation.
The visitors tried groggily to play their way back into the game as their followers looked on aghast. Front men Chris Holroyd and Danny Crow worked and ran tirelessly, but their colleagues' early attempts at crosses were poor to say the least, sailing ignominiously out of play time after time. There were a few too many hopeful high balls lumped forward, too, as Paul Carden and Jai Reason struggled to get a grip in midfield, although United started to show some promise when full-backs McAuley and Anthony Tonkin began to bomb forward in support of the wide men.
Lincoln continued to take the game to United when they could, left winger Sean Cann looking particularly promising, but it was the visitors who were beginning to dominate possession without producing anything in the final third which looked likely to restore some of that lost pride.
They slowly turned the screw, however, as the fans became increasingly restive and the team battled not only the conditions but perhaps their own self-doubts. McAuley was lively and positive, latching onto a clearance to fire narrowly wide on 17 then arriving late and unmarked to a Robbie Willmott corner in a well-rehearsed routine, but he delayed his shot too long and was crowded out.
A probing through ball from Reason was turned into the net by Holroyd on 23 but he was flagged offside, but United were showing some signs of life against an increasingly beleaguered Lincoln side, the visitors finding most joy in direct running at their hosts and shooting at the earliest opportunity. Tonkin had a cross-shot plucked out of the air by keeper Mario Ziccardi and Reason saw a couple of powerful efforts blocked by a sea of white-shirted bodies in the home box, then Pitt's accurate cross from deep found the head of Holroyd, but he nodded just wide of the near post.
United's football was not exactly sophisticated or cerebral, but it was right for the circumstances and it finally bore fruit after a worrying 35 minutes. Holroyd was fouled by Machin out in the left channel, who was booked for his inflicted pains, Pitt floated it in and amidst a chaotic penalty area it was the youthful strength of McAuley that prevailed as he darted in and rammed a deflected shot home from ten yards out. More relief than Rafa: 1-1.
The pattern of the game remained unchanged, the plucky hosts battling valiantly and the visitors asking the questions, and on 40 United were in front when a ball through the middle from Reason was flicked neatly past Ziccardi by Willmott for a goal which was a clever piece of skill... if he meant it. 2-1.
The unfortunate Cann was forced to withdraw on 42, to be replaced by Kallum Smith, and a minute later came the coup de grace in a devastating if unexpected spell from the U's when Willmott's corner found Wayne Hatswell, who rammed an unequivocal header into the top corner. And relax: 3-1.
They had taken their time about it, but United had got to half-time in the position they wanted. Now their main danger would be complacency. The floodlights began to sputter into life now we were back on Greenwich Mean Time, and it was noticeable that there were a few bulbs not working on the main stand side, but the light was not to get so crepuscular for it to become an issue.
United set out their stall for part two by attacking immediately after the restart, Holroyd going on a mazy run along the byline which culminated in a good save from Ziccardi at his near post at the expense of a corner.
A spell of sustained pressure ensued as the U's, now with the wind at their backs and the remains of the sun setting behind them, kept the ball calmly and probed a Lincoln side now almost permanently on the back foot.
Holroyd fired over, Pitt followed suit then chipped another onto the top of the net, and Willmott scuffed one wide and saw a hopelessly ambitious long-range free-kick blocked just inside the area. Crow, tireless in his running, finally got his chance on 65 when play became bunched like a playground match on one side of the pitch and a through ball suddenly sent him away clear down the right channel. With no-one to beat but Ziccardi, he took the wrong option as he entered the box and fired for the near post, the keeper beating it wide. Had he shot across goal Holroyd would have been arriving to pick up any pieces.
United were then denied what looked like a clear penalty when Holroyd rose for a cross and was blatantly shoved in the back by McDaid, only for the ref to somehow ignore the whole incident. Should have gone to SpecSavers (other opticians are also available).
Pitt had missed poorly with an earlier free-kick, but on 69 he came much closer as he curled a fine effort over the wall and a sprawling Ziccardi shovelled it round the post at the second attempt. Three minutes later the passing move of the match involved every United midfield man before sending Holroyd down the right to arrow a cross into the middle, which Crow met powerfully on the run but blasted straight at the keeper when anywhere else would have resulted in a certain goal.
It had been all one way this half, the game and dogged Lincoln side run ragged by their visitors, and the substitutions began on 73 when Andy Parkinson replaced Pitt, who had had an in-and-out sort of match. Three minutes later Holroyd was withdrawn after somehow failing to get on the scoresheet for once, to be replaced by Lee Phillips, who galumphed about in characteristic fashion.
In the last ten minutes Lincoln enjoyed something of a late reviving burst, and the amber hordes just knew that it would only have taken one goal from the hosts to spark a last-ditch spell of blind panic. The nearest the hosts came, however, was via that man Forrester on 84 when he fended off Hatswell and aimed another pinpoint chip over Potter's head that looked a goal all ends up but cannoned instead off the top of the bar.
Adam Marriott finally got to make his competitive first-team debut a minute from time and showed a few of the excellent, skilful touches that have made him one of the Ridgeons League's most feared strikers before the three added minutes were over and United were in the First Round for another year.
The early stages had been nothing short of nightmarish but to their credit United kept their heads and ground their way back into it before taking total charge in the second half. But it is one thing to beat a willing but limited team which lies second from bottom at Level 8 of the Pyramid below the likes of Quorn, Cammell Laird, Mickleover Sports and Loughborough Dynamo, and quite another to defeat a tough bunch from the top ten of the Conference North. And in the meantime, there is the small matter of league points to be won. This should be a springboard, nothing more, nothing less. No more Hayes and Grays!
Statto Corner
'Jamie Forrester always scores against us!' In truth he has only scored in half of the games in which he has played against the U's, but he has amassed an impressive total in all of eleven goals in sixteen matches, including four penalties.
He obtained his reputation by scoring four times in his first three encounters with United when playing for Scunthorpe, notching in 2-2 and 3-3 draws in the 1997-98 season, then twice in the Iron's 3-2 victory at Glanford Park in September 1998. His last appearance for Scunny was in a goalless draw, but when he next popped up for Northampton in October 2000, he bagged a brace in the Cobblers' 2-1 win at the Abbey, then after a 2-0 defeat the following April, grabbed another double in a 3-3 draw in October 2001, both from the spot.
He scored another penalty in a 2-2 draw at Sixfields in April 2002, then enjoyed a barren run of three matches for the Cobblers in the LDV Vans Trophy and the FA Cup. He next popped up against the U's for Hull in a 1-1 draw at the KC in February 2003, but had to wait for almost a year for his next goal, a penalty in a 2-0 win at the same venue the following January.
Two appearances for Bristol Rovers in the 2004-05 season produced no further goals for the little marksman, and we thought we had seen the last of him when United were relegated at the end of that season. How wrong we were...!
The two seasons immediately following United's relegation from the Football League, 2005-06 and 2006-07, remain the only two since 1970 in which they have failed to make the First Round proper of the FA Cup, losing to Weymouth and Northwich Victoria. Prior to election to the League in 1970, the U's had made the First Round on a total of five occasions, in 1953-54, 1954-55, and on three consecutive occasions from 1962-63.
In the first of those seasons they actually reached the Second Round, the Eastern Counties League side shocking the FL's Newport County in a replay after battling through four qualifying rounds before finally succumbing 2-1 at home to Bradford Park Avenue in front of a capacity crowd of 10,000.
After avoiding embarrassment today, United maintained their record of never having lost to a team three levels below them in a major cup competition. They have succumbed to a team from two levels down on six occasions:
FA Cup 2000-01: Morecambe (Div.2 v Conference)
FA Cup 1987-88: Yeovil (Div.4 v Isthmian League)
League Cup 1981-82: Colchester (Div.2 v Div.4)
League Cup 1978-79: Northampton (Div.2 v Div.4)
FA Trophy 1969-70: Bromsgrove (Southern League Premier v West Midlands League)
FA Cup 1967-68: Lowestoft (Southern League Premier v ECL)
Adam Marriott is the eleventh player to have been allocated squad number 22 since the system was introduced in 1999, but only the sixth of those to have played in a competitive first team match.
The full list is: Darren Cockrill, Zema Abbey, Alex Revell (pictured), Dan Huggins, Stuart Bimson, Dave Robertson, Chris Gordon, Liam Marum, Michael Hyem and Craig Bussens.
Player Ratings
Potter 7. Fantastic save to keep the score at 0-1 early on, rarely troubled thereafter.
McAuley 8. Vital goal, cool defending, good support play.
Tonkin 6. Linked well with Pitt on occasions but tended to play well within himself.
Saah 6. Not given much to worry about after Lincoln's initial flurry.
Hatswell 6. Got the job done.
Willmott 6. Neat goal, room for improvement in the crossing department.
Carden 6. Hardly at his best, but kept things ticking over.
Reason 7. Encouragingly energetic effort.
Pitt 6. Some decent work without exactly running riot.
Holroyd 7. Always a threat although somehow stayed off the scoresheet.
Crow 7. United's hardest-working player, the Fen Tevez did everything right except when faced with scoring opportunities, missing two relatively convertible chances.
Parkinson 6. Busy without pulling up any trees.
Phillips 6. Lively as ever.
Marriott 6. Given less than five minutes but showed some excellent touches.
Match Summary
After a fumbling, stumbling first half hour United finally awoke to their situation and killed the game off with a burst of three goals in eight minutes before seeing out the second half with a welcome dose of professionalism. Better will be required, however, to progress further in this competition.
Man of the Match
Rory McAuley. What an impressive prospect this lad is: immaculate defensively, dangerous forging forward down the flank, and with an eye for goal to boot.
Ref Watch
West 7. A bit of a fusspot at times, and denied United a clear penalty, otherwise acceptable.
Out of the Mouths of Babes
"I like Cambridge United. They are my favourite team. When they scored in the goal, I cheered so much that I spilt my drink on my new gloves and my trousers." (Martin Rutherford)
Soundtrack of the Day
The Soft Pack 'Answer To Yourself'
Andrew Bennett
Andrew's previous match reports
More Match Photos
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