Finding a good parking space I was a little early & the bleak weather didn't entice me to leave the car so I spent a while reading the Western Morning News. The inside back page caught my eye with the headline 'Branston eyes Lincoln'...& what did the big Guy tell us ? ......
"It's a lovely part of the world, down here by the sea,and I am enjoying every minute of it,training and playing,you name it - it's all good.
I like to think I've brought some experience to the team and some banter into the changing room as well.
Bucks and the lads have been as good as gold and you want to repay that by going out there and giving it your best and that's what I try to do,each and every time I play".
Also printed is the League table, I note that our goal shy team has scored 14 more than Lincoln and conceeded one goal fewer. With everything clearly in our favour I made my way to the ground thinking back to the last time I saw us play Lincoln...an opening game of the Season, a lovely sunny August day probably five or six years ago, a big contrast with todays murky bleakness.
I enquired of the turnstile operator as to whether they'd all been issued with photofits of Dave...just incase he tried to sneak onto the Popside & jinx our unbeaten run. "Oh no need for that" I was told.. "Bucks is so confident even 'lucky charm' LRT isn't starting".
A few pics of the warm -up, just to put Merse's PC through it's paces.
and now one that really caught me out. I assumed this guy was a new signing we'd not been able to register in time for the game. As you can see the composure & technique is first class, the very qualities we often lacked during the match.
Imagine my surprise on learning he wasn't the new £50,000 striker I imagined but actually one of the ground staff !
Lincoln took to the field wearing shirts as grey as the afternoon sky, but colour and warmth was provided by the Lincoln fans large red & white 'We Are Imps' banner and the smile from Keith Alexander whose image covered a sizeable proportion of the away end back wall.
Less than 10 minutes had elapsed when the blue booted Somma drilled a free kick goal bound, big Scott managing to do no more than fumble the slippery ball away for a corner. The ball is shortly back at Somma's feet and he rifles it home from an acute angle.
This wasn't in the script at all and early murmourings about frogmarching a certain 'DR' off the Popside could already be heard.
A timely challenge from our own blue booted star Adam Smith got the ball out to Muzzy who cut inside before laying the ball square to Wroe who smashed it home from somewhere near the edge of the area. Plenty of congratulations for Wroe but Branston headed straight to young Smith praising his contribution & giving him a well earned pat on the head.
Branston & Muzzy played particularly well in the first half. Predominently right footed Muzzy (playing on the left) cut inside more often than not which didn't matter as he either laid the ball off simply & intelligently or got in a decent shot from distance which was no bad idea on a slippery surface. Plus, of course, if Muzzy does skin his man on the outside the resulting cross is invariably dreadful. If he could cross like Jake Thomson what a player we'd have on our hands, but then the same could be said if we had a 'pacey' Kevin Nicholson...if those missing attributes could be added they'd never have ended up at Torquay.
HT 1-1
The 50/50 was probably claimed by the holder of ticket number 08772, I didn't look up to check as I had found two colour pictures (pages 12 & 40) of Emma Butterworth (Emma Butterworth Dental) in the programme
Also worth a mention is the magnificent centrespread of...sadly not Emma...Wayne Carlisle.
A great example of stunning sports photography that is possible with modern day equipment and a skilled exponent behind the lens.
The Somma show continued in the second half. A bit of a poor mans Berbatov I thought, with his gloves & dislike for anything resembling a 50/50 challenge, but give him the ball at his feet & he had the close control to skip past opponents. His skill played a major part in Newcastle Manager Chris Hughton's son Cian lashing the ball home from close range for Lincoln's second.
Four minutes later the desperately unlucky Ellis lost his footing and the blue boots were through..toe poking it past the advancing Bevan before cooley ushering it into the net for Lincolns third.
Keith Alexander's grin seemed to get wider, "3-1 to the mighty Imps" was the refrain from the away end...whereas a chorus of " We want Davey out" was all that the Popside could muster as the 99% turned on DR aiming a selection of boiled sweets in his direction.
The lean tall Chris Sutton looked suitably pleased with things while our two 'imps' Buckle & North looked ..erm.. perplexed.
Time for Ellis & 'Silly Billy' to exit stage left to be replaced by fans favourite Macklin...plus Kevin Nicholson.
A few words on the Nico debate. He did one thing defensively..tried to head it back to Bevan but put it out for a corner. As for the rest of his play, it isn't too big an exaggeration to say it was like having a Premier League player making a guest appearance for us. Yes I agree that if you play a formation that doesn't give Nico adequate cover & a speedy winger is allowed to run at him you'll have problems. But you miss out on the crosses,the shots, the passing, the throws, the free kicks all of which are of a most impressive standard.
Just watching Nico's ability to deliver the ball on a sixpence has to be admired. Defensively one on one he does struggle against pace, but there has to be a way to incorporate that sort of ability into your side somewhere.
Zeb pulled a goal back but that was the end of the scoring.
Nicholson hit a trademark thunderbolt that would have topped off his afternoon nicely if it had gone in, but it produced an equally superb save by Burch.
I put the tin lid on my afternoon by scraping the alloys of my pride and joy on the high kerb as I pulled away, desperate to get back to a fridge of beer & drown out memories of our defeat at the Battle of the Somma.
Not pretentious Chris, just my way of trying (in vain) to assist the sufferers of Attention Definciency Syndrome, Village Idiot Syndrome and no doubt sufferers of mourning for the passing of Heathfield Aerodrome who constantly fail to debate on what I HAVE posted rather than what they reckon I posted...................a long lost battle I'm afraid! 
