By Nathan Jackson
May 5 2011

In what could turn out to be Lincoln's last game in League Two for some time, the Imps face Aldershot knowing that if Barnet beat Port Vale, it would mean that anything other than a victory would see the Imps relegated to the Blue Square Premier for the first time since 1987.

Ahead of a game where there's a 71.43% chance (based on permutations) of us being a non-league club next season,  I am going to make a strange statement......I hate League Two. Don't get me wrong, I would much rather be in League Two than the Blue Square Premier, but League Two does my nut in. The incredible arrogance of some club's fans is ridiculous, claiming they're big clubs.....YOU'RE IN THE FOURTH SODDING TIER OF ENGLISH FOOTBALL. Some put their claim to being a big club down to winning the FA Cup more than 100 years ago, some put it to being in the Premiership for two seasons before returning to the levels where they have spent most of their history, and some claim to be big because they're based in a big town/city. It is strange that clubs that are rated between 69th and 92nd in England can claim to be a big club.

I must admit that I am terrified of going into the non-League. In League Two I can realistically predict where a side will finish, even to the point where I really upset their fans. For example, I predicted Hereford to finish 20th this season and I was personally slated and my prediction was called "poxy" by a fan who say they would finish miles higher than 20th.....they are 21st with a game to go. In 2006/7 I was successfully able to predict which seven sides would finish in the top seven and correctly predicted a total of 9 team's finishing position that season. I know sod all about the non-league. Obviously if we go down then you'll get the usual suspects challenging for promotion, Luton if they don't go up, Kidderminster, etc, but other than that I know precisely zip about the non-League.

It seems strange that it's just one division lower, it's not like you're going into oblivion but that's how it feels. When Chris Sutton started this season he guaranteed he would do his utmost to get Lincoln out of League Two this season, I doubt this was the method he would have chosen and it's strange looking back how confident that the players were. Some were citing a promotion push. It's been a strange season in that sense. We could have gone 6th if we had beaten Accrington in September but quickly found ourselves again in the relegation battle. We were bottom heading into an away game at Stockport, a game that saw a rare hatrick and the first win in a run of six wins in seven matches.....however, since then the form has been patchy to say the least.

Whatever happens, if we don't go down this year, we'll be one of the favourites for the drop next term.

Luckily for the Imps there is a 71.43% chance of staying up. Out of seven permutations, only two would see the Imps drop into the non-League for the first time since the mid-1980s;

If Lincoln win : Lincoln stay up

If Lincoln draw and Barnet win : Barnet stay up

If Lincoln draw and Barnet draw : Lincoln stay up

If Lincoln draw and Barnet lose : Lincoln stay up

If Lincoln lose and Barnet win : Barnet stay up

If Lincoln lose and Barnet draw : Lincoln stay up

If Lincoln lose and Barnet lose : Lincoln stay up

City fans will have a keen eye on events down at Barnet due to the above and if we don't win, we need to rely on a generally out of form Port Vale avoid defeat for us to stay up. It's a strange situation but history does seem to be slightly on City's side. Exactly ten seasons ago Barnet needed to win on the final day against Torquay to stay up, but the Gulls won the game and survived themselves, and this time last year Barnet were in Lincoln's shoes, knowing a win guaranteed survival but anything other than a win would leave the door wide open for Grimsby to overtake them and survive....not that it matters as Barnet won and Grimsby lost.

As Sir Alex Ferguson once said, it's squeeky bum time.

Do we have an XI capable of doing what they need to do? For months everyone was saying (justifiably) that Grimes was our stand out player, however, it's been the absense of Delroy Facey that has been costly. Ever since he got injured City have only picked up two points from the ten games played an from having an outside shot at the Playoffs, Delroy's absense has meant we are now in danger of the drop.

Delroy is still out injured and Danny Hone is suspended, but the key question for the day is now who plays, but the way we play. A draw is just as much help as a defeat as it would have no impact at all on who goes down, so we might as well go for it. Strangely, going for it would generally be a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 formation, but our better performances have all been on the road recently whilst adopting the 4-5-1 formation.

Whatever happens, Saturday will be the last time we see either Ashley Grimes or Ben Hutchinson in an Imps shirt, the latter of which most will be glad about. Grimes on the other hand is one of the few virtually guaranteed to start, everywhere else is up for grabs.

Due to not having a single impressive display in his spell at the club, Parish shouldn't be surprised if Anyon is given the nod ahead of him. With fans calling for experience in the squad, Anyon would have to be the man to go between the sticks for this game....mainly because he occasionally makes saves from shots that aren't right at him.

One thing is for sure though is that a lot of the players will be playing for a new contract going into their final game as an Imp. With 13 out of contract, you can guarantee those that play will do what they need to do to get a new deal and as we saw as recently as the 2008/9 season, a performance on the last day can change a manager's mind. That example being when Ben Wright was going to get offered a new contract by Peter Jackson, only to then miss sitter after sitter against Aldershot and for Jackson to change his mind during the match.

Aldershot are managed by a man who a strange legacy in football. When 2003 began Dean Holdsworth (left) couldn't have been aware that seven months later he would become the first ever player to be at a club at all four professional levels and with four different teams within the same calendar year. I'm going to refer to the divisions as they were known then. He started the year at Premiership Bolton Wanderers but quickly went to Division 1 side Coventry, he stayed there until transfer deadline day when he then joined Division Three side Rushden. The Diamonds won Division Three before Holdsworth joined Division Two's MK Dons.

Holdsworth has been at Aldershot after a brilliant spell as Newport manager. He has secured nine points in his first six games, two wins and three draws was a decent return for a rookie at this level. They had spent most of their early season looking over their shoulders at the drop zone and inconsistency under Holdsworth has never seen them rise above midtable, although they might be a good outside bet for promotion next season given Holdsworth's record at Tamworth.

This season has been a bit of a reality check for Aldershot. They made the Playoffs last season but joined a rare club of teams to reach the Playoffs and not score, losing 3-0 on aggregate. Since the inception of the Playoffs, only Colchester (1987), Stockport (1990), Bury (1993), Preston (1995), Chester (1997), Leyton Orient and Rotherham (both 1999 - Orient are the only team to ever not score in all three Playoff matches, winning the semis against Rotherham on penalties after two 0-0 games, but losing the final 1-0 to Scunthorpe), Hartlepool (2000) and Northampton (2005)  have failed to score at all in the Playoffs. Ironically the old Aldershot team were the first team to win the Playoffs at this level, beating Wolverhampton Wanderers in the final.

Now, before someone says it, this is NOT the same football club that used to be in the Football League. This football club has only existed since 1992 and therefore any mention of the team from before 1992 is irrelevant as it is a completely different club. Because of this, there isn't a lot of recent history between the two clubs. The two teams have only ever met on four occasions and Aldershot have won three of those.

The first ever meeting between the clubs came in November 2008 when Peter Jackson took his Lincoln side down to the Recreation Ground. City dominated the first half but fell behind just before half time as Sandell bundled home from a corner. Aldershot bossed the second half and Scott Davies gave the Shots a deserved victory.

Aldershot made their first ever visit to Sincil Bank on the final day of the 2008/9 season and goals from John Grant and Scott Davies were enough to win the game for Aldershot, but it was a day remembered for the shear amount of "sitters" that Lincoln missed and it was a game that was to prove costly for Ben Wright. The striker was going to be offered a new contract, that despite just three goals all season, but the chances he missed changed Peter Jackson's mind and he instead released Wright.

A few months later and Aldershot became the first team of the tenure of Chris Sutton. Talk about a false-dawn. City were brilliant that day and created chances for fun, eventually taken the lead in the 83rd minute through Sergio Torres. It was the first of just 14 games that we won under Sutton in 51 attempts. Aldershot secured their Playoff place in the return game towards the end of the season. City wasted chance after chance before Davide Somma eventually gave City the lead for what would turn out to be his final goal for the Imps, but a double from Marvin Morgan and a Dean Morgan strike meant a 3-1 win for the Shots.

The final game of this season will see Aldershot make the trip to Sincil Bank and strangely, City's game at Aldershot this Tuesday will be the third time City have played away at Aldershot Town and each time City have travlled their with a different manager.

An in-form Imps side made the trip down to Hampshire this season and were 2-0 down just after half time before late goals from O'Keefe and Grimes secured an unlikely 2-2 draw.

The clubs don't even have a history of sharing players. Since the turn of the millenium only two players have been at both clubs, although Junior Mendes (above, right) is the only man to have actually played for both. The other was Omari Coleman, the young striker joined the Imps from Watford and City loaned him to Aldershot in the 2005/6 season. He never played a game for the Imps. Albert Jarrett was loaned to Aldershot from the Imps a day after the aforementioned 2-2 draw this season, he failed to impress on loan and soon left the Imps after returning.

Current Aldershot man Alex Rodman has spent time at Lincoln United. I wonder what odds you can get on a former Lincoln United man to score the goal that confirms Lincoln's relegation.

(Lincoln vs Aldershot) + (Barnet vs Port Vale) = ???

Discussion started by theimps.ka (IP Logged), 05/05/2011 09:52

theimps.ka
05/05/2011 09:52

What do you think? You can have your say by posting below.
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.

Reply Quote Report

Red Imp
05/05/2011 10:47

Or a 77.77% chance of survival depending on how you do it.

Reply Quote Report

StratfordImp
06/05/2011 12:13

Is Kanyuka going to replace Hone?? Or Green in the centre and Hughton at RB?

Reply Quote Report

Goto: Forum List•Message List•Search• Log In

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

We record all IP addresses on the Sportnetwork message boards which may be required by the authorities in case of defamatory or abusive comment. We seek to monitor the Message Boards at regular intervals. We do not associate Sportnetwork with any of the comments and do not take responsibility for any statements or opinions expressed on the Message Boards. If you have any cause for concern over any material posted here please let us know as soon as possible by e-mailing abuse@sportnetwork.net