What an insane year that was - December
By Nathan Jackson
December 31 2006
The final 31 days of the year were extremely quiet as other than the 6 matches, there were only 3 bits of noteworthy news. It's a month that is good for the Imps, with 5 wins from 6 including a huge win at Peterborough United. City's 15 point haul in December made it 86 point gained in 2006.
The month starts as quietly as it goes on and the first bit of news is that the away games at MK Dons, and Walsall later on in the season will be shown on Sky Sports. City also sign ex-Scunthorpe man, Richard Kell to a month’s contract. He is a player who has won promotion with every club that he has been with.
After 4 straight defeats, it’s important that the Imps get back to the winning mentality and a visit from Bristol Rovers is the perfect opportunity. The game is quite one sided and City should have taken the lead many times before eventually winning a penalty just before half time. Ex Bristol Rovers striker, Jamie Forrester steps up and smashes the ball into the net for the only goal of the game. City have plenty of opportunities to extend the lead but a 1-0 win stops the rot and even sees the Imps move higher up the league.
A trip to Chester City again sees the Imps dominate the early parts of the game, wasting one or two very good chances to take the lead. In typical Lincoln fashion though, Chester go down the other end and score with their first shot as Roberto Martinez taps into an empty net after Marriott is arguably fouled from a cross. Chester’s 2nd shot on target, in the second half, again sees Chester score as a corner hits the bar, lands just inches from the line, and with Marriott grounded, Jon Walters has an easy chance to score a goal.
Brown scores a goal from close range for the Imps before Chester scored a 3rd with their 3rd shot on target as Blundell heads home a Sandwith free kick. The 4th shot, and the subsequent 4th goal, is a complete and utter farce as Marriott watches a weak header go within 2 inches of his face as he just watches it go in and he makes no effort whatsoever to get to it. It goes down as a bad defeat as the Imps dominated long periods of the game but went down to Chester’s only 4 shots on goal.
A week later sees the first local derby in a run of 3 in 10 days. Grimsby are a mere shadow of the team that often swept aside the Imps during the previous season and it comes as no surprise when the Imps take the lead. It comes from a corner that really should have been a goal kick, the ball is eventually headed down to Forrester, he turns and shoots into the net. Gary Jones is sent off in the second half for the visitors before Lee Frecklington scores with a close range pile driver midway through the second half.
The quiet month continues and next up is the game that virtually every Lincoln fan has been looking forward to as the Imps travel to Peterborough United, I’m not even going to bother telling you when it’s been widely anticipated. City start brightly but Peterborough having a very strong sense of déjà vu about them. When Lee Beevers plays the ball to Forrester, he brilliant spots the run of Amoo, and dummies the ball into the path of the midfielder. The youngster controls well and scores with a rifling shot into the corner for his first ever goal for the Imps.
The lead doesn’t last long though as Peterborough score with what turns out to be their only shot on target in the whole game. Work from Yeo down the left saw him cross to Gain, and his shot takes a slight deflection on it’s way to Marriott just failing to get a sufficient touch on the ball to keep it out.
However, he is just an extra in what turns out to be the “Ryan Amoo Show” as midway through the second half, the midfield pounces on a mislaid header and scores his second goal for City. That goal turns out to be the winner as the Imps prove yet again that we are better off without Keith Alexander as manager.
Again with no news, attention is turned to a home game against Boston and yet again, the Imps dominant early on and take a deserved lead when Mark Stallard pounces on a through ball and scores well from the edge of the area. City continue to press but are caught with a sucker punch when Kennedy scored with a fantastic volley with, you’ve guessed it, Boston’s first shot on target. Fortunately Jeff Hughes pops up with a winning goal after he heads home the best team move of the season.
Before the game against Wycombe, it is announced that Spencer Weir-Daly will join on loan from Nottingham Forest in the new year. With names already being touted about as several members of the club say that big names are headed our way, this seems a bit of a disappointment, as it is not the name people had been hoping for.
City are second best for long periods of the game against Wycombe, and should have lost by an absolute mile but for a change, it’s City who score with their first shot on target as Jeff Hughes sends a curling effort around the onrushing goalkeeper. The narrow win means that City end the year in 3rd place, 3 point off top, 3 points above 4th and a huge 14 points above 8th.
