Match Thread: Exeter City v Lincoln City | Page 22 | Vital Football

Match Thread: Exeter City v Lincoln City

UnbelievableJeff said:
I was talking about the BBC Local Radio one. And the report on BBC Sport. He was scathing of the officials. The interview on Sky was by far the more professional of his.

"He is a Championship referee and I can't believe how poor his performance was tonight. It's a season's-worth of hard-work for ourselves out the window. Same with the penalty appeal in the second half.
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You can understand his frustrations from his point of view. It’s his job, it’s not like he’s a fan. Over the two legs there is no denying that’s Exeter got the rub of the green. In last nights game the two decisions came at pivotal points in the match, which had they gone our way could have swung the tie.

I’m sure he’s hurting from last night and might regret the brashness of his comment. Let’s give our saviour a moment. No one is perfect all the time, particularly on the heat of the moment.

It’s been a brilliant season and I think last night will make the Cowleys stronger.
 
simes69 said:
Lots of magnanimous posters on here, but I feel very deflated. It was another entry in our collection of Bad Lincoln Play Off Performances where we don't do ourselves justice and concede goals we wouldn't concede in league matches (see Bournemouth, Bristol R). And, why do we have to always come across opponents at the absolute peak of their game (see ahem... Bournemouth, Bristol R.)?

I also don't think we got any decisions over the two legs. But Exeter were mainly helped by our team selection (forced by injury). As others have pointed out Bossie in the middle, Wharton at the back, Eardley on the right may have been better, in fact might have prevented all three goals, which were amongst the most disappointing we have conceded all season.
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I’m deflated, but I think we’ll be for another good season next year.

Your right, we didn’t play well and we didn’t do our justice. However, as you also alluded to, the team weren’t in a great physical state coming into the playoffs and I just don’t think we quite had enough left in the tank
 
imps_joe said:
You can understand his frustrations from his point of view. It’s his job, it’s not like he’s a fan. Over the two legs there is no denying that’s Exeter got the rub of the green. In last nights game the two decisions came at pivotal points in the match, which had they gone our way could have swung the tie.

I’m sure he’s hurting from last night and might regret the brashness of his comment. Let’s give our saviour a moment. No one is perfect all the time, particularly on the heat of the moment.

It’s been a brilliant season and I think last night will make the Cowleys stronger.
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I see your point, but he's not my saviour. ?
 
SalfordImp said:
Local paper report of the incident:

https://www.devonlive.com/sport/football/football-news/reports-pitch-violence-fans-mar-1580934
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What a total and utter disgrace. Hope they find the scum that did this and get them banged up and banned from football for life. Knocking an OAP to the ground in an unprovoked attack is truly appalling behaviour in any context of life.

Our kit man must have been very shaken-up by this... do hope he’s doing ok. No doubt he was rallied round superbly by our staff and players.
 
Best team won as evidenced by the league position. However in the end small margins really, Rheady header 1st leg goes in rather than the underside, disallowed goal, penalty shouts, goals that Exeter probably have never scored 2 of in the same game all season.
However for all the pressure and corners you can see what we're lacking, it would just have been our minerals that saw us through.
 
Rasenimp said:
Williams is a baffling one, athletic and a bit more presence so suits the narrow front three very well. Never seemed to play that badly, but not a look in off the bench or otherwise. Not fit? Attitude?
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I wasn’t a big fan from the start in truth. Looked to have a poor first touch and ball control, no real skill and not great crossing ability. Other than Pett’s goal against Yeovil and a knockdown for Freck on debut against County, I also don’t remember him getting any assists to go along with his zero goals.

What he does bring is balance on the left side (decent left wingers are a very rare commodity in League 2... we haven’t had one since David Puttnam left 20+ years ago!), and a great work ethic. I did wonder if he would have been worth a go at left back in the playoff games, if only to keep our best assist-maker (Eardley) on his natural side.

Think he’s still under contract at Rochdale so there’d almost certainly be a fee involved in taking him... is that really worth paying given his contribution on loan?
 
The ref didn't cost us the game. Conceding three goals from open play (ie not resulting from controversial free kicks) did that. But the ref did have an impact on the game, and that's not just our views, but those of the pundits, too, on Sky and Talksport (heard the last few minutes after the game)

He COULD have awarded Exeter a penalty for handball in our area. He SHOULD have allowed our "goal", when he was standing closer to the action than the linesman, and also given us a pen when Rheady was felled. Would that have made any difference? Who knows

At the end of the day, the luck went with Exeter. And maybe that's the luck you earn by finishing 5 points and 3 places higher over a season. As others have said, let this be our Southport moment. Top spot next season!!
 
A 22nd away game in all competitions where we've failed to score in the first half last night.

Just 9 goals scored in the first half of 28 away games this season.
 
What a night of mixed emotions. Lets have some straight talking though and not start whinging about "we waz robbed". The best team won and the quality told in the end. The best 3 or 4 players all wore red and white. Yes we did not have the rub of the green and having seen the highlights now, the goal should have been given or more accurately it was a penalty to us in the first half. Second half yes Rhead was clattered in the penalty area again. However what comes around, go's around especially with big Matt and his theatrics. Previous pantomime antics have come back to bite us and i think his reputation now go's before him. Also we got the rub at Wembley didn't we. Could you see us winning if he had got his deserved red card ? Me neither.
Back to yesterdays match. I think we were running on empty and lacking the quality from attacking midfield to hurt them, just like Boateng did to us. The press and closing down which was for example non existent from the throw in leading to Harley's tremendous third goal, was very non Lincoln and down to us being cream crackered.
Credit to us for not folding and not being humiliated, but it is in some ways easy to play ok when the other team have taken their foot off the pedal and were already dreaming of Wembley. Plenty of usual grit, passion and perspiration from the imps, but most of the flair and quality was in Red and White.
On the whole the small but vociferous imps fans were a credit to the club , a few scuffles with the stewards apart. I have witnessed this too often at away games this season. It was sad to experience that with the pitch invasion we could not thank the players and staff for such a tremendous season. I can understand the Exeter fans elation and coming onto the pitch, but to then spend it goading our fans was unacceptable. Then to hear that some of our staff were assaulted, is putting salt into our wounds. Any way keeping things in perspective, the loco is still in full steam and i fully expect us with two or three prominent signings to be even more of a force next season. Just move those families up please Danny and Nicky and i can rest more easily in my bed. UTI.
 
Rasenimp said:
Ha I'd forgotten about Barnet. Certainly wasn't the only one that day, was that pretty much the last we saw of him though?

Before that he'd been promising on occasion I felt.
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I thought Williams was poor against Port Vale when he replaced Rowe.
 
PWould said:
What a night of mixed emotions. Lets have some straight talking though and not start whinging about "we waz robbed". The best team won and the quality told in the end. The best 3 or 4 players all wore red and white. Yes we did not have the rub of the green and having seen the highlights now, the goal should have been given or more accurately it was a penalty to us in the first half. Second half yes Rhead was clattered in the penalty area again. However what comes around, go's around especially with big Matt and his theatrics. Previous pantomime antics have come back to bite us and i think his reputation now go's before him. Also we got the rub at Wembley didn't we. Could you see us winning if he had got his deserved red card ? Me neither.
Back to yesterdays match. I think we were running on empty and lacking the quality from attacking midfield to hurt them, just like Boateng did to us. The press and closing down which was for example non existent from the throw in leading to Harley's tremendous third goal, was very non Lincoln and down to us being cream crackered.
Credit to us for not folding and not being humiliated, but it is in some ways easy to play ok when the other team have taken their foot off the pedal and were already dreaming of Wembley. Plenty of usual grit, passion and perspiration from the imps, but most of the flair and quality was in Red and White.
On the whole the small but vociferous imps fans were a credit to the club , a few scuffles with the stewards apart. I have witnessed this too often at away games this season. It was sad to experience that with the pitch invasion we could not thank the players and staff for such a tremendous season. I can understand the Exeter fans elation and coming onto the pitch, but to then spend it goading our fans was unacceptable. Then to hear that some of our staff were assaulted, is putting salt into our wounds. Any way keeping things in perspective, the loco is still in full steam and i fully expect us with two or three prominent signings to be even more of a force next season. Just move those families up please Danny and Nicky and i can rest more easily in my bed. UTI.
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Good summary.
 
collingham imps said:
Exeter were the better side on the night - we didn't get to grips wth Boateng - and didn't get the rub of the green
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As Notty said during the game, Boateng should have had a reducer put on him very early on. He was the player on the pitch in both games, a lesson that should have been heeded from Saturday with the result being him getting some slipper/cane!
 
PWould said:
What a night of mixed emotions. Lets have some straight talking though and not start whinging about "we waz robbed". The best team won and the quality told in the end. The best 3 or 4 players all wore red and white. Yes we did not have the rub of the green and having seen the highlights now, the goal should have been given or more accurately it was a penalty to us in the first half. Second half yes Rhead was clattered in the penalty area again. However what comes around, go's around especially with big Matt and his theatrics. Previous pantomime antics have come back to bite us and i think his reputation now go's before him. Also we got the rub at Wembley didn't we. Could you see us winning if he had got his deserved red card ? Me neither.
Back to yesterdays match. I think we were running on empty and lacking the quality from attacking midfield to hurt them, just like Boateng did to us. The press and closing down which was for example non existent from the throw in leading to Harley's tremendous third goal, was very non Lincoln and down to us being cream crackered.
Credit to us for not folding and not being humiliated, but it is in some ways easy to play ok when the other team have taken their foot off the pedal and were already dreaming of Wembley. Plenty of usual grit, passion and perspiration from the imps, but most of the flair and quality was in Red and White.
On the whole the small but vociferous imps fans were a credit to the club , a few scuffles with the stewards apart. I have witnessed this too often at away games this season. It was sad to experience that with the pitch invasion we could not thank the players and staff for such a tremendous season. I can understand the Exeter fans elation and coming onto the pitch, but to then spend it goading our fans was unacceptable. Then to hear that some of our staff were assaulted, is putting salt into our wounds. Any way keeping things in perspective, the loco is still in full steam and i fully expect us with two or three prominent signings to be even more of a force next season. Just move those families up please Danny and Nicky and i can rest more easily in my bed. UTI.
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Patience they are coming ! My thread about Danny buying a house was removed!
 
Their pitch invasion was a disgrace

They had not provided sufficiently to cope and if there had been more then 400 away fans the piss poor stewarding would have been over run.

As for the morons who assaulted players and staff. I hope they are caught and miss their day in the capital and many more matches there after.

I am sure if Exeter fans goading I would like to see them try that again if they ever meet a team with tasty fans - I bet they wouldn’t repeat it!
 
plumbob said:
As Notty said during the game, Boateng should have had a reducer put on him very early on. He was the player on the pitch in both games, a lesson that should have been heeded from Saturday with the result being him getting some slipper/cane!
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Completely agree.

Personally (and I’ll probably get shot down in flames for saying this), but I thought DC got his team selection and tactics wrong over the two games.

Clearly, injuries made that process significantly more difficult, but for me, not having Eardley at right back in both games, and not having Bostwick in midfield yesterday were errors.

Eardley has the most assists this season and is by a mile our best crosser from the right hand side. Putting him on the left doesn’t change much defensively - he’s still solid and dependable (as we saw at the start of the season) - but we lose our most creative source on his natural side. With people like Rhead and Palmer on the pitch, crosses are a massive part of our game, and although Wilson and Anderson (and Eardley on the left) did their best (Wilson’s cross for Rhead in the first leg was maybe the only really good ball we put in over the two games), we were sadly lacking in that department. It may be pushing it to make this comparison but you’d never consider lining up David Beckham on left midfield. I honestly think the same rule should have applied to Eardley in this tie - by hook or by crook, he HAD to be found a place at right back.

So how do you do this with no Habergham available? Well he could have played Wharton there from the first leg... and maybe even Williams could have drafted in... he certainly has the legs and the battling qualities for full back.

Tough one given all the permutations with availability but you do wonder if DC/NC might look back on this and think this was one factor in us losing the tie.
 
With Bossie in midfield, he could have got stuck into Boateng and reduced his effectiveness - a good old fashioned clatter or 3 would have done the trick!
 
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