The Imps’ made it six unbeaten yesterday with an impressive two goal victory against Wycombe Wanderers away from home.
Mark Kennedy made one change to the side that drew with Barnsley on Tuesday night with Carl Rushworth returning in goal after serving his suspension. Despite the rest of the team remaining unchanged, much of the pre-match chatter was about injuries, and rightly so. TJ Eyoma was the only ‘senior player’ on the bench and was joined by Sam Long, Oisin Gallagher, Morgan Worsfold-Gregg, Bailey Adamson, Julian Donnery and Jovon Makama. Mark said on the radio before that we had eleven injuries to senior players and we could have made a starting eleven out of them, and he was right. Jordan Wright was out after picking up an injury on Tuesday, we missed Adam Jackson, Joe Walsh and Lewis Montsma in defence, Max Sanders, Teddy Bishop, Charles Vernam, Danny Mandroiu and Ben House also all missed out. Tashan Oakley-Boothe also wasn’t eligible due to loan rules too, so we went into the game with no expectation of a result and just hoping we’d come through without another injury.
The team was determined to achieve more than just a draw though, and despite the challenging circumstances, they aimed to secure all three points. If scored the first goal, I felt that we had a chance to succeed, and we managed to do just that. Luke Plange played a crucial role on the left side by finding Mide Shodipo, who then passed back to Regan Poole in the centre. Poole played a stunning chipped ball beyond the Wycombe defence, which allowed Dylan Duffy to score his first goal for the Imps through a header.
I know I’ve already said a lot on Dylan in previous articles but at the moment he is looking like he will be a big player for us. In less than 200 minutes of football, he has got a goal, an assist, and got the second Port Vale player sent off, that would be good for a player that has over 100 EFL appearances, so it’s exceptional for a player that is twenty and has only made two league starts for us. We can’t put too much pressure on him but with the talent he has, he could go on and be an important player for us that could make us a decent amount of money in the future.
Going to Wycombe is a challenge. They have a strong presence in League One with talented players and a disciplined team. I was hopeful that we could secure a positive outcome from the match, but I didn’t anticipate coming away with a clean sheet, a victory, and two goals. Wycombe aren’t the sort of team that we beat based on recent history but if anyone was going to win the game, it looked like it would be us. Harry Boyes had a close call and didn’t manage to score, Rushworth also had a lucky escape upon his return to the team. Wycombe was in need of a win to stay in contention for the playoffs, but despite having more possession, they didn’t pose a significant threat to our goal. Nevertheless, our team has been maintaining clean sheets effortlessly this season, which can be attributed to our three defenders and reliable goalkeeper. I’m never sat worried about conceding and I have no worry when facing an opposing team’s attack, especially against the top teams in the division.
At halftime, we had a well-earned lead, but the main concern was what would happen after the 60th minute mark, as we lacked any options on the bench to make a difference. We knew that we might have to rely on our resilience, as we’ve done in the past, to come away with a positive result without any support from substitutes. However, I personally believe that our team is capable of handling a situation like this better than any other team in the league.
As it turned out, we didn’t have to endure the pressure of holding onto our lead for the full 90 minutes, as our great Dane scored a second goal for City. Wycombe’s goalkeeper, Max Stryjek, kicked the ball long and low over the halfway line, and Lasse Sorensen controlled it before launching it into the back of the net from a distance of at least 55 yards, an extraordinary moment that left not only the players and staff but also the fans in the stadium and at home in awe. This is the kind of moment that will be remembered for years to come, and it’s even more special that it was Lasse who delivered it. He has been performing excellently as a wing-back recently, but he’s not only a talented player, he’s also a great person and deserves all the recognition that comes his way.
We ended up winning the match 2-0, and it was a relatively comfortable victory. As I had predicted before, our defence was solid, and we posed a constant threat in the attacking third. Although Dylan and Lasse deserve all the praise for their goals and outstanding performances, I must emphasize that every player on the team contributed to the win. Boyes and Shodipo have been revelations in recent weeks, and I really hope they both remain with us next season, either permanently or on loan. As for Regan, I know it’s unlikely that he will stay, but he was exceptional once again in yesterday’s game, and I hope he recognizes the opportunity to continue serving as our captain next season and how much he means to our fanbase.
In my opinion, Sean Roughan showed his skills just as impressively in the left centre-half position as he did earlier in the season as a wing-back, despite his young age of 19. His talent shows great promise for his future in the game. I would also like to mention Luke Plange, who received a large amount criticism for his performance against Barnsley, some of that coming from me. However, yesterday, he performed admirably and was only a goal away from receiving more recognition. He battled well against the Wycombe defenders and played a role in our first goal. Although it hasn’t quite worked out for him here, I don’t think it’s due to a lack of effort, but rather more due to circumstance.
That win has propelled us to 10th place, and if we were offered this position at the beginning of the season, we would have accepted it gladly. It has been an impressive debut season for Mark Kennedy, and in my opinion, we are a year ahead of schedule. Despite some unrealistic expectations from certain individuals who may want us to win the league, given our budget and resources, we have performed above our expectations, surpassing teams such as Fleetwood, who invested heavily in two strikers during January, and Charlton, who have a much larger budget than us. Mark has performed exceptionally well, and I am excited to see what he can accomplish next season.
It’s important that we manage expectations and know that we won’t simply become play-off contenders next season. There is still a big gap between 10th place and the teams who are challenging for the play-offs. However, if we can successfully recruit new talent and retain our key assets, there is potential for us to make significant strides next season. It’s difficult to predict what may happen next season, but I’m remaining optimistic going into the final few games of the season and hoping we can end as strong as possible before heading into the summer.
43 down, 3 to go. Up the Imps.