Bolton Wanderers, Mansfield Town, Wigan Athletic, Wycombe Wanderers, and Blackpool. Nine points dropped from positive positions, points that would have seen Lincoln City six points clear at the summit of League One.
That’s not to mention the three points dropped at home to 20th-placed Exeter City; the Imps could have had a 12-point buffer, but instead find themselves three points adrift of Cardiff City.
Having beaten the Bluebirds on Saturday to narrow the gap at the top, is it time to take Lincoln seriously or do all of their dropped points prove they don’t quite have what it takes to gain a truly memorable promotion?
Are City Actually Quite Good?
Leaving the ground after the match and talking during the game, it was easy to think that Cardiff weren’t actually that good and, were I a Cardiff fan, the journey back to Wales would be full of annoyance at my side for not giving it their all.
However, would we be more accurate in saying the home side was good and stifled the visiting league leader, preventing them from playing at their best?
As expected, the leaders dominated possession and, to their credit, scored a well-worked goal from a lovely chipped Perry Ng finish. They also hit the bar, but that came from a skewed Reeco Hackett clearance, with the Imps’ midfielder stretching and rattling his own woodwork.
But after that, the Imps appeared fairly comfortable, securing victory thanks to a somewhat bizarre own goal and a Sonny Bradley header.
In the home midfield, Conor McGrandles does a lot of unnoticed work, the dirty work, as it were. At the back, match-winner Bradley dominated in the air and impressed alongside fellow veterans Adam Reach and Tendayi Darikwa.
Time To Take The Imps Seriously?
Since promotion to the third tier, the Imps have come up against big clubs like Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland and Birmingham City, as well as Hollywood-backed Wrexham, decreasing promotion chances from a division where they are already dwarfed by a majority of the participants.
Throw in a Kieran McKenna Ipswich Town side, a Rotherham United outfit yo-yoing to the Championship and back and then the likes of Portsmouth, Derby County, and Plymouth Argyle, Lincoln’s 11th, 7th and 11th place finishes across the last three seasons must surely be deemed a success.
As the league has taken shape this season, is now the best chance the Imps have to gain Championship status?
Michael Skubala’s side sit three points off Cardiff City, who many would have expected to be in the upper echelons of the division. Lincoln has taken 26 points from 11 home matches this season, the best return to date in the league. Had the Imps managed more than the 1.2 points per away game, it would be them being chased down by the Bluebirds.
City has scored the sixth most goals in the league and has the fifth-best defensive record as they enter the traditionally hectic festive period.
The Imps have lost just one of their last six League One outings, winning four of those in a run that is only bettered by the side they beat on Saturday.
Writer’s View
The pessimistic supporter in me is desperate to keep a lid on expectations, but at some stage, the admission that the Imps are in a promotion race has to be made.
The Christmas period will be a huge one for all of the clubs, with their sights set on going up. City could find themselves top of the division come the end of the Peterborough United match on January 4th, but could also be looking up at those in the playoff spots.
Seven points from the next four would be a huge return for Skubala’s side and leave them in a great place heading into the new year. Saying that, I’d take 12!