Match Thread: Lincoln City v Doncaster Rovers | Page 32 | Vital Football

Match Thread: Lincoln City v Doncaster Rovers

We are the best team in the division by a long way with our approach play. If only we had a natural in-the-box goalscorer we would be ten points ahead of the pack by now.

Even with the poor standard of final crosses, nobody was trying to get across the hear post - which is why they were easily cut out.

I also agree our corners are awful, which really shows through when we have so many.

Ultra critical I know, but this is the best LCFC team I have seen since GT's side, and this is our best ever chance to win this division. I just hope the new signing on Monday is a natural goalscorer, as opportunities like this season may not come around again.
 
Listen, I agree, we are having a great season but it could be a lot better! Apologies if I come across as being negative - I'm just as angry as hell that we are passing up opportunities like this to put more distance between ourselves and our near challengers.
But we are a young, developing team, largely new for the start of the season. The management and most supporters acknowledge that to be where we are is well ahead of where we expected to be - look at the 'where will they finish' predictions.

While we could, indeed be 'out of sight' and perhaps with some of the football we've played should be, days like today are unfortunately part of that development and learning process. Frustrating, but, in all honesty, to be expected occasionally. Today was one of them.
 
I thought they played like a very well organised away team looking to frustrate the opposition and get a smash and grab win on the counter attack. Not dis-similar to how we've often played on the road

How many shots did they have? We play counter but have much more shots thatn they had today. Big difference.

BBC stats say they had 11 shots today!!! Anyone that can rewatch that game and find those shots? My guess is 1 shot and 10 balls that ended up running up to Palmer.
 
Last edited:
If only we had a natural in-the-box goalscorer we would be ten points ahead of the pack by now.

We can't have everything, Mike. We probably wouldn't create the same opportunities with a different type of player.

Scully is the most natural goalscorer - which is odd to say today considering the penalty miss - but he wasn't used till very late.
 
How many shots did they have? We play counter but have much more shots thatn they had today. Big difference.

BBC stats say they had 11 shots today!!! Anyone that can rewatch that game and find those shots? My guess is 1 shot and 1o balls that ended up running up to Palmer.

They were still well organised and put their only real opportunity away. That was evidently their game plan and they've got 3 points for it. We've done that often in the recent past
 
Even with the poor standard of final crosses, nobody was trying to get across the hear post - which is why they were easily cut out.

This comes up game after game. If hopper wasn't following instructions he would have been dropped by now. His instructions are obviously to attack the centre of the goal because he always does that.

It was McGrandles most often trying to close in on the near post and he (not being a CF) didn't have the reactions and was always a "ahhh" moment away and the chance is gone.

Either crosses have to bit to the centre of goal, hit harder so a deflection might reap rewards for the player in the centre OR the CF has to be instructed to play for the near post cross.

Top players play to the tactics they are told to or they end up dropped.
 
Last edited:
I don’t think there will be a Donny fan who doesn’t think they were a little bit lucky today. Goalie guessed right for the 2 pens. Could easily have been 2-1 or more. I think if we had got the goal we needed we would have gone on to score more.
 
Ouch! That hurt!

.....but could prove an important part of this young squad’s development.

We have the right management team to guide them through and bounce back. and we are only half way through a marathon of a season.

It’s inevitable that we’ll come up against even more organised sides and quality keepers as we progress.

The frustration that we all feel today is due to our success and could be part and parcel of life in the Championship one day!
 
They were still well organised and put their only real opportunity away. That was evidently their game plan and they've got 3 points for it. We've done that often in the recent past

And I haven't argued against that. They came here hoping for the best and went away with what they came for. I disagree we have hung on like that for the whole match ever...WHEN we are supposedly a top title contention team.

I can only imagine they saw us go away to Pompey, saw the first 30 minutes where we took them on and immediately thought "we can't compete with that."
 
After the Pompey win though this is just a small set back. We'd probably have been happy with two draws from this very difficult week. As it is we've taken one point more than that.

I know we have the Pizza game on Tuesday but I'm looking to the Gills game on Friday night now for the response. I'd back us to do very well there, probably better than if we were at home. Away matches suit us that bit better
 
we were literally 2 kicks away from a win, and everyone would have been saying we were world beaters. the overall picture is still supremely bright.

producing football that gets you attacking on the dead ball line 10-12 times a game is a great place to start from. (it produced the goal on tuesday). i haven't seen another L1 team anywhere near that standard.

tweaking the actual dead ball line cross is the final tiny% of the approach play, getting a player to attack the near post or pulling it back. and maybe mixing up the corners with short corners (edun hit the bar from one on tuesday). these are minor things, easy for the coaching staff to work on and correct imo.
 
This comes up game after game. If hopper wasn't following instructions he would have been dropped by now. His instructions are obviously to attack the centre of the goal because he always does that.

It was McGrandles most often trying to close in on the near post and he (not being a CF) didn't have the reactions and was always a "ahhh" moment away and the chance is gone.

Either crosses have to bit to the centre of goal, hit harder so a deflection might reap rewards for the player in the centre OR the CF has to be instructed to play for the near post cross.

Top player play to the tactics they are told to or they end up dropped.
What we've been good at recently is the low driven cross into the 'corridor of uncertainty' on the 6 yard line, Eyoma, Scully and Edun have been very effective in doing that.

Doncaster had done their homework and set up defensively to cut out those angles and our final balls were worse as a result.
 
I think it was losing to such a non effort from the away team that hurts more. Yes we should have been better in the final third but they came here playing like a relegation side hoping for the best.
I assume by non effort you mean not trying to win by more than a single goal. They put a hell of a lot of effort into winning by a single goal. They came playing like a side 6 point behind with 2 games in hand, and not wanting to be 9 behind.
 
I think it was losing to such a non effort from the away team that hurts more. Yes we should have been better in the final third but they came here playing like a relegation side hoping for the best.

Think you have to give credit where it’s due - it’s hard to keep a clean sheet when you’ve only had a fraction of possession. Certainly not a ‘non-effort’. Fair play to them.