Following the 2-1 EFL Trophy win at Grimsby Town, I asked Vital Lincoln City members what three things they had learned from the game.
This is what Sedgleyimp said:
1. The EFL Trophy remains a difficult competition to get excited about in its early stages. Last night’s game had the atmosphere of a pre-season friendly. Mass
changes to starting XIs, along with playing in front of a crowd of roughly 10% of capacity, does not result in the type of game that would be played with the intensity
expected of previous games. This makes it harder for marginal players to make an impact and earn starting spots in league games. It’s still a competition, and
supporters’ excitement only begins to peak in the last eight. I’m wondering if Premier League clubs remove their U21 teams to focus on whatever competition they
have with the National League, or if this competition will go the way of the Watney’s Cup or the Anglo-Scottish Cup and become defunct.
2. The competition for spots has become severe. Last night, we were treated to the pleasant sight of Ethan Hamilton and Reeco Hackett receiving much-needed
game time following long-term injuries. Lewis Montsma also completed a whole game for only the second time since his previous ACL injury. Hamilton and Hackett
are both quality players at our level who contribute to the squad, but neither are guaranteed a starting spot in every league game right now. You’d expect Hackett to
be a lock for the LWB position in the long run, but Jefferies hasn’t disappointed us in that role and may consider himself quite unlucky if he’s dropped now. It’s the
same for Hamilton. He, Erhahon, and McGrandles are probably our best three players in the center of the park, but you could argue that all three play similarly, and
having one of Bayliss, Moylan, or McKiernan instead of one of them would contribute something different to that region of the pitch. One thing is certain: some
really excellent players will not make the 18 on match days.
3. Don’t expect a shift in tactics when we face ‘weak’ opponents. There’s an intriguing piece on line that examines how we play and the fact that we rank 24th in
League 1 in possession data. That article outlines how we are leveraging this to our advantage, and as you saw last night, even when we play opponents in a lower
tier, the game plan of high press, low block, and direct football will continue. You may imagine yesterday night’s game to be one in which we tried to get greater
possession of the ball. The reality is that we have chosen a style of play that does not take this into account, but rather focuses on how to maximise our 30-40%
during games in order to achieve the outcomes we have seen. I honestly do not believe this will change in the foreseeable future, but while we are winning, do we
really need it to?
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