By Kate Jackson
July 29 2013

As the website has been down for around 19 months, I want to spend some time reliving some of the most epic games since during the closure, and where better to start than an FA Cup tie?

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON MY FOOTBALLING BLOG - WWW.LINCOLNCITYAWAYDAYS.BLOGSPOT.CO.UK - IT HAS BEEN SLIGHTLY EDITED

To put all of the below in context, it was written two days after the game at Walsall. A late (and undeserved) Walsall equaliser in the original tie had taken the game to a replay and despite the form of the two sides, the Imps were well and truly underdogs going into the game. Walsall were horrendously out of form, whereas the Imps were in the middle of their best run of games unbeaten for years, but despite that, the Imps had never actually beaten a side from two divisions above them in the football structure in the FA Cup.

So here you go, the blog entry from two days after the game.

WALSALL AWAY : VICTORY, IT'S A GOAL MICHAEL AND BITTER FANS

I've waited until two days after the game finished to write this as I wanted to calm down a bit before writing this. I still can't believe we beat Walsall. Now, I know many of you might look at that and think "Walsall? It's not like it's a Premiership side," ..... but let's put it into context, in terms of positions, it would be like a middle of the table League One side going to a midtable Premiership side and winning, even though the Premiership side field a near full strength team. The level of the victory might not seem the same, but try finding a Lincoln fan who  cares that it was "only Walsall".

The away day started pretty late for me as I didn't finish work until 4pm. I love night games because it helps you take your mind off of bad days, and this was definitely the case for me, and made even sweeter by the fact that I wasn't driving, I hate driving. Driving stresses me out to a level where I become very unpleasant to be around.

Matt was driving, a person who I have known since I was 11 and have been to school together, stayed in hotels together and now even work together, and he brought along his daughter, Chloe. It took a bit longer than expected to get to the Bescot (fuck sponsorship, it's the Bescot), as there had been an accident on the M6 (how come there's always an accident anytime we're playing away from home, or someone jumping in front of a train delaying everything, don't they realise that there's a football match to get to?) The 80 minute journey from Newark turns into 3 hours, but we still made it in plenty of time.

Once we were there we made our way into the Saddlers club, a bit like a bigger version of Sincil Bank's Centre Spot pub, although with food that was a lot less edible (and yes,  I have tasted the food at Sincil Bank) and served in a very, very slow manner. It took them nearly 15 minutes to serve four people. Eventually we make our way into the ground, although I am stopped on the way as a female steward is amazed at the stuff I pull out of my handbag.....toothbrush anyone? How about a torch?

We eventually made our way in and all the youngsters that are going these days keep changing their standing position, which makes finding a space a bit awkward as I want to sit down and watch the match. After about four or fie times of moving, I give up as they again make their way over to sit next to where I am sitting. I just can't be bothered to move anymore and it's just a bit of a chore. The game eventually kicks off and the first half is a bit of a dull affair, although the home side do slightly edge it.

The second half is a much different prospect as Alan Power quickly latches onto a through ball and slots home to give the Imps the lead on the night. Walsall's appeals for offside fall on deaf ears and Power was about 3/4 yards onside when the ball is played. City sit back and although they rarely launch another attack, Farman isn't really having much to do in the city goal as Walsall can't get any shots in.........that is until about nine minutes from time when they score with their first shot on target during the entire game. The fans behind the goal are deflated and you can tell the players just want that whistle as we were hanging on for those final few minutes. Thankfully we do hold out for extra time.

Extra time is much the same as most of the rest of the match, the hosts having a lot of the ball but not really doing anything with it. Just before the end of the first period the Imps get a corner. It's played in and substitute Vadaine Oliver, who had given the ball away for Walsall's goal, heads in to restore City's lead. Vadaine is at it again a few minutes later as he latches onto a weak back header to beat Grof to the ball and to send the Imps fans behind that goal into raptures. You can't put into words what that goal meant and the away end went absolutely wild when it went beyond the hapless (and rather shit) David Grof and into the net.

The away end erupts with unbridled joy. It's a long time since Lincoln have had a night like this and it is long overdue. This was arguably our best performances in any cup competition since the game at Fulham in 2005/6, when the Imps twice came from two goals down against a full strength Premier League team before eventually losing out to a last minute goal in extra time.

Walsall do make it 3-2, but much like commentator Michael Hortin, most Imps fans don't realise Walsall have scored again. Hortin is going on about a brilliant City clearance and how City have got a decision anyway.......to which Steve Thompson replies "It's a goal Michael"....the clip for that can't be found below..

Funnily enough, I then see the woman who was doing my nut in in the game at Barrow.....and surprise, surprise, she's moaning again.....however, thinking about it, whenever I've seen her at an away game, we have never lost. I think I've sat near/next to her at three away games now and we've won them all. 2-1 at Cheltenham and the two recent games. If she wasn't such an irritating fuck head then I would gladly sit next to her every game to try and do anything I can to get a win. Infact, she must have been the only Lincoln fan who was moaning as the game approached it's end.

The final whistle goes and the Imps fans and players go mental. It's the same outside the ground but then one Walsall fan just has to be that twat doesn't he. Cowering as he walks around a dark corner, he shouts abuse at all Lincoln fans two or three times.....he really didn't like it when I replied back.....pity the coward was still walking away. I really hate sore losers, I really do. However, let's not get one sour-graped twat ruin our evening and celebrate a great win for the Imps.

This is how Kettering and Dagenham must have felt when they have beaten us in the FA Cup in recent years when lower league clubs.

It makes it nine unbeaten now, something that we would have only dreamed of six weeks ago and hopefully it now means that the Imps have turned that corner and that we can now move on and push for getting back in the Football League, maybe not this season, but soon.

Below is my video of the night.............

An epic night in Walsall

Discussion started by theimps.ka (IP Logged), 29/07/2013 09:54

theimps.ka
29/07/2013 09:54

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