Swindon Town (h): What 3 Things Did We Learn? | Vital Football

Swindon Town (h): What 3 Things Did We Learn?

Not sure if this has been mentioned anywhere else but did anyone notice that the sprinklers were still on just as they were about to kick off. Perhaps there should be a cut-off time for this, say at least 10 mins before kick-off !
 
The style of play v Swindon was the best if not better than those first 6 months under Schoey over a decade ago.
 
The catering was appallingly bad. No more of our hotdogs and pork and stuffing/beef rolls in the Centre Spot.

Disgraceful. The catering in the ground was awful with many things running out by 3.30pm.

Double M's, although not perfect, beat this lot hands down.

£4 for a bacon roll. Er....No ta.

Croozey and I managed to collar Liam.....and he squirmed...gave a lot of bluster and essentially couldn't give any answers..apart from the catering side made a huge loss.
I suggested to him, having experience of this, the fault was probably in wasting too much, which is a fault in ordering too much and preparing too much.

What did we learn? A lot of people will be eating elsewhere before the game, or taking their own nosh in.

Very bad for the club.
 
I don't eat at the ground, mainly because I have lunch before I come and the food has been awful for years. Sounds like they still haven't got it right.
 
Long ball Lincoln
Lincoln have had a reputation for being a direct team in recent years and although some supporters may disagree I feel it is a claim with merit. It’s by no means a negative as the best way to make the most of a team containing Matt Rhead is to get the ball into him quickly to then begin playing in the final third. Based on Saturday’s match this statement is no longer correct as there was a real emphasis to get the ball on the deck into our ball-playing midfielders, O’Connor and Frecklington. City regularly used the midfielders as a springboard to play forward, be that either into the charging full backs or the lively attacker’s feet. The third goal is a fine example of this with wonderful link up play concluding with a well executed volley by City’s forever overlapping left back Toffolo. With John Akinde up top it would be foolish to say we won’t be direct at times but City now have players with the composure and the confidence to really mix it up. The longer opposing managers persist with the lazy trope that “they know what to expect” the better as they’ll almost always be surprised by Lincoln’s variety.

McCarten
One cog in the change in style is the loan signing of Shay McCarten. We should have expected quality given the fact he is a Northern Ireland international which is no mean feat given their recent exploits. McCarten has a knack for finding space, seemingly without doing anything at times, and then driving towards the goal much to the fan’s excitement. The pre-season goal against Boston gave a glimpse into what he’s capable of from the edge of the area and Saturday’s match gave no reason not expect more magic moments over the coming season.

Strength in depth
Lincoln were much maligned from some quarters last season for the small squad size and lack of game changers from the bench. During our first home match last season we brought on Jordan Maguire-Drew and Ollie Palmer as we unsuccessfully chased a winner against perennial strugglers Morecambe. Against Swindon we brought on Matt Green, Tom Pett, and Jason Shackell who all had a tangible effect on the game. Pett played a lovely, lofted through ball for Green to slam home Lincoln’s fourth while Shackell brought a real air of calm at the back emphasising his experience at a higher level. The unused subs included our focal point of years gone by in Matt Rhead, as well as experienced centre half James Wilson, and local prospect Ellis Chapman. We’ve got a plan A, plan B, and plan C presenting the Cowley brothers with a multitude of options both in terms of formation and substitutions depending upon the state of the game. This strength in depth hasn’t been seen at Sincil Bank for some time and will certainly serve Lincoln well over the season as we look to continue our strong start.