Lincoln City took on Ipswich Town this weekend away from home and returned back to Lincolnshire with an important three points after an impressive defensive performance.
A Ben House goal amongst some incredible blocks, never-ending passion and the willingness to put bodies on the line earnt City the win, and here are my player ratings.
Carl Rushworth – 8
Carl Rushworth is top quality and I feel like I am saying that almost every week. He took command of his box and made a few important saves, but his calmness was key, especially late on in the second half. He was excellent from opposition corners, claiming a few and organizing his backline, and helped the imps claim a well-deserved three points on the road.
TJ Eyoma – 8.5
I have seen loads of fans talking about our defensive performance and I think some have missed TJ Eyoma’s excellent performance at wing-back. I thought it was one of his best since returning to the club last summer and he is now looking like he is getting back to his best. Two cleansheets in a row coupled with that performance against Derby, we may just be starting to see the old Eyoma return. He cut out multiple Ipswich attacks and also offered us an attacking outlet too. A top performance from the wing-back.
Paudie O’Connor – 8.5
Paudie O’Connor is a player I’ve been critical of this season multiple times. I write what I think on this site, but I always have time to listen to others thoughts and I have to admit, I think Paudie has proved me wrong in recent weeks, he has always looked solid, but I think he lacked something and in recently he has shown us just that. The back five system has completely changed him and now I’m starting to see his quality. He played a key part defensively throwing himself in front of every shot he could, but he also played a massive role in our goal. He looked to put the ball back into the danger zone and got his reward with an assist for Ben House. I will always admit when I’m wrong and my early judgments of Paudie certainly are.
Adam Jackson – 9.5
I’ve always backed Adam Jackson and stuck up for him in a way against criticism. I think in terms of being a classic centre-half, he is our best. He is a ‘puts his head where others won’t put their feet sort of player’ and he showed that in abundance on Saturday. I lost count of how many blocks he made, and I’ve had Ipswich fans praising him to me, so that shows a lot. Adam is a top-quality centre-half in this division and if he keeps himself fit, he is a massive asset to us. He was my MOTM, and he has to continue playing against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.
Sean Roughan – 8.5
Sean Roughan continued his impressive run of form against Ipswich, and he is making it ever-increasingly hard for Jamie Robson to try and get back his first team spot. Roughan was top-notch defensively and he provided us an outlet on the left-hand side, similarly to what TJ did on the other side.
Matty Virtue – 8.5 & Max Sanders – 8
It almost seems as if Michael Appleton has a problem with midfielders with names beginning with an ‘M’. Obviously, I’m just joking but it is hard to see what Appleton didn’t see in Virtue at Blackpool and more importantly what he didn’t see in Max Sanders in the last eighteen months. They were both absolutely brilliant on Saturday, and they were key to use getting all three points. Our midfield didn’t control the game from a possession standpoint but off the ball they were a different class. All I saw was energy and desire to stop the ball passing them.
Virtue is a real asset, and I think with the likes of Jack Diamond and Ben House impressing lately some have forgotten how well Virtue has actually done since coming in. I said his performance in the second half against Cambridge and his first start against Derby were the sign of things to come, and I’m glad he has continued the way he started, and he works very well next to Sanders too. The latter was also a different class, his off the ball work is always very good but it was even better on Saturday. If I was Mark, there would be no chance of that partnership being broken up against Sheffield Wednesday.
Danny Mandroiu – 7
It wasn’t going to be an easy game for the attackers, and it certainly wasn’t for Danny Mandroiu. However, that doesn’t mean he didn’t play well because he did. He struggled to have an impact on the final third, but he followed the game plan well and helped his full-back out on multiple occasions throughout the ninety minutes. He managed to link up the few attacks we had and frustrated the hosts on multiple occasions. He is improving game by game and he is now getting into a rhythm with us, and it is becoming clear to see why he was brought in.
Ben House – 8
It was always going to be a difficult day for Ben House, especially with our game-plan we went to Portman Road with. However, House managed to nick himself a goal making it four goals in his last five matches. The goal may have been scrappy, but it was a good finish by the striker, who signed for City under Appleton in January of 2022. He has given Tom Hopper a big problem when he returns from injury, and he will almost certainly be in the side this weekend against Sheffield Wednesday.
Jack Diamond – 7
Jack Diamond struggled at times throughout the game mostly due the defensive game-plan. His effort was faultless throughout and constantly tried to drive City forward into the final third. He helped his full-back throughout the game defensively and he worked well throughout to help City see out the result and earn an all-important three points away from home.
Substitutes
Lasse Sorensen – 7
Jordon Garrick – N/A