It was a tough night for City under the lights, as we lost our second group stage game in the Papa John’s trophy against recently relegated League Two side, Doncaster Rovers.
Mark Kennedy made a number of changes to his and rightly so, considering the two recent league fixtures. Charles Vernam came into the side, and it was positive news for Tom Hopper and Max Sanders, who both came back into the starting team. Jacob Davenport also made his debut for City, and he started in the deep midfield role or the position I used to call the Liam Bridcutt role.
Before I start the ratings, I’d like to address the lack of match review. The site was down meaning if I was to write one it would only be able to be put it out now and two days late, so I thought I wouldn’t write one as most of you will have seen and read about the game already. Thanks for the continued support though as always.
It was a disappointing performance overall, and I’ve tried to rate the players efforts below.
Jordan Wright – 6.5
It was a tough night for the goalkeeper and he probably should’ve kept a cleansheet for his efforts. However, we let Doncaster back in the game and it ended with Wright conceded two goals he couldn’t have done much about. It is clear he is not at Carl Rushworth’s level but he is still a quality young keeper and one we should keep hold of.
Jamie Robson – 6
Jamie Robson got handed a chance to re-claim his first-team spot over the in-form Sean Roughan but the left-back failed to take advantage of that chance. While he wasn’t at fault for any goals he struggled to have an impact both offensively and defensively. For league action, it still looks as if it is Roughan’s spot to lose.
Adam Jackson – 6.5
Adam Jackson was one of our more impressive players, coming back into the side after being used primarily as a substitute in recent weeks. We all know the quality of Jackson and right now he looks like a slightly better option than Paudie O’Connor but it looks unlikely that he will be dropped. In a disappointing night for the Imps, it was more of a positive one for Jackson, who managed to come through injury free and got ninety minutes.
Regan Poole – 6
It was an unusual night for Regan Poole, who was not at his usual best but he wasn’t the worst player on the pitch for us. Poole has set high standards and he will want to continue that and that is clear when performances like Tuesday drop below his usual standards.
TJ Eyoma – 6
TJ Eyoma looks like a player that needs this two-week break. With Jay Benn side-lined Eyoma played his third game in a week and you can tell he has. Luckily, we have a break with no game this weekend, meaning TJ can recharged ready for Bolton away in October.
Jacob Davenport – 7
I was really impressed by Jacob Davenport on his first outing for City since he signed over a week ago. When he was on the pitch, we controlled the game throughout and we fell apart when he went off. Unfortunately, the focus turns to injuries with the midfielder picking up a hamstring strain forcing him off. It’s an injury I’d expect to be a few weeks so he may not be available for Bolton.
Max Sanders – 6.5
It was a good outing for Max Sanders, who has not featured in a while due to a recent injury. Despite the loss, Sanders played relatively well and most importantly he got ninety minutes of action to help build up his fitness again.
Tashan Oakley-Boothe – 6
Tashan Oakley-Boothe just seemed to not be in the game at all on Tuesday night and it is a real shame. He came to us looking to get his career back on track after an inconsistent time at Stoke and it is clear he has got talent but he doesn’t know how to use it sometimes. He struggled to combine with Charles Vernam, but that is understandable considering the latter’s lack of game time. He came off the back of in my opinion his best game in a City shirt but he failed to produce again, and when Bishop is fit again I doubt he will have a place in the team.
Jordon Garrick – 6.5
If Jordan Garrick got a rating out of ten for effort, he’d get eleven but on Tuesday night, it just didn’t work for him. It is the second game in a row he has struggled to make an impact but as long as he keeps trying it will turn into form. With him on form and Jack Diamond on the other side, we could have a really dangerous forward line.
Tom Hopper – 5.5
The skipper struggled to have the impact he would have wanted on his full return to the side after injury and that has heaped even more pressure on him especially with the form of Ben House. Tom has been getting his criticism of late and his poor performance hasn’t helped that but he is still a very capable player and one that got us to a play-off final.
Charles Vernam – 7.5
Charles Vernam was our brightest attacking player and he scored our only goal, which was also his first for the club. Most of our final third play, admittedly it was limited, came through him and he was my man of the match. He is pushing for a chance in the league and with Garrick struggling to have an impact, he might just get his first league start against Bolton.
Substitutes
Jovon Makama – 6
The young man struggled to make an impact on the game but with his age we can’t expect too much of him.
Matty Virtue – 6
Matty Virtue – 6, Didn’t play like his usual self but came on in a difficult period of the game after they drew level, with his recent league form It would be unfair to judge him on the short amount of time he played in this game.