Community Festival of Lincolnshire Football... Featuring Gainsborough Trinity, Lincoln City and Lincoln United.

Saturday 6th July 2019
Community Festival of Lincolnshire Football
at the Martin & Co. Arena, the Northolme, Gainsborough
THE66POW point and hope photo gallery: Click HERE

The 'Community Festival of Lincolnshire Football' tournament format, consisted of: one afternoon, three games, all of sixty minutes duration, i.e. thirty minutes each way, with a ten minute half time break. Three points were awarded for a win and one for a draw.

Initially, I had a few reservations about the truncated timescale of games; but hindsight is a wonderful thing... and on reflection, the format was actually nothing short a masterstroke, on the part of whoever devised the idea. that worked well for just about everybody, on so many different levels.

How often do pre-season games tail off after the first hour or so anyway, as teams run down the clock by introducing an indeterminate number of (often rolling) substitutes, which breaks up the flow of games and often ruins them as a spectacle?

Of course, the requisite amount of minutes for full on, real fixtures, should be set in stone and never buggered about with, but I'd wager all three management teams were delighted to have been afforded the opportunity to utilise two whole hours of match action time this afternoon, to utilise their respective squads, in a fairly competitive environment.

Hopefully then, this very enjoyable inaugural competition will become a regular annual feature, for these three teams who all ply their trade in this particular swathe of the expansive county of Lincolnshire.
I think that possibly it would have been widely appreciated by a lot of people who were present (which probably includes the cheerful gentleman who was 'master of ceremonies with the microphone for the entire afternoon)', if there had been the more widespread availability of the team lines up details (where appropriate) for all three games.

There would've been no need to go to the actual expense of printing team sheets for each and every encounter (although there was one available for the Trinity v Imps game), but displaying a list of who was actually playing, somewhere prominent. within the Northolme, would have been helpful.
However, the fact that so many members of the omnipresent 'Trialist' clan, who traditionally provide an abundance of family members at this time of the year, were present in such large numbers, combined with the fact that a lot of players (including all of Lincoln City's) didn't wear shirt numbers, would more than likely still have caused a few recognition issues in any event.

But hey ho! It's pre-season, and as such, some of the details are always going to prove to be sketchy, at best, or completely unavailable altogether. Beside guesstimation games are a big part of the intrigue... aren't they?
It's also worth remembering, that some managers, quite understandably, don't want other clubs knowing about who they're running the rule over in these sort of practice games, as they try out potential signings, who could be snatched from under their noses, if rival competitors get to hear of their availability. So, with that in mind, I haven't mentioned by name, any player who hasn't already been identified via any of the three clubs media channels today, nor have I used any close up photos of any of them either.

1PM Kick Off
Lincoln City (1) 4
Jordan Adebayo-Smith 5, 33, 53
Trialist 37
Lincoln United (0) 1
Substitute 44

Lincoln City:
Grant Smith, Trialist, Trialist, Cian Bolger, Trialist, Trialist, Trialist, Trialist, Bruno Andrade, John Akinde, Jordan Adebayo-Smith.
Lincoln United:
Mikey Emery, Harry Millard, Trialist, Matt Wilson, Michael Jacklin, Mark Gray, Trialist, Noel Burdett, Danny North, Jack Whitewick, Kallum Smith

Putting a little perspective onto what, on the face of it, looks like a fairly convincing scoreline and academic win for the League One side Lincoln City, against their neighbours; despite the number of trialists in their line up, this was a contest between a full time professional club, who won the League Two title last season... and a Northern Premier League South East Division side, who, with all due respect, play five divisions below the Imps and have only just starting building up their fitness levels towards a peak of August 17th, when the NPL season begins.

It was always going to be a stern test for United... but it will have done the smallest squad (numbers wise) in the tournament, a power of good to have tested themselves against such high calibre opposition.
Ultimately the Imps were far too clinical in and around the Whites area, for the final outcome to ever be in any kind of doubt. To that end, youngster: Jordan Adebayo-Smith, who only signed first team forms a few days ago, after making a good impression with City's Academy side, helped himself to a hat-trick today, on his first team debut, while displaying good close control while running at pace, excellent positional awareness and an ice cool composure when thrust into one against one situations.

Adebayo-Smith slotted in comfortably alongside alongside John Akinde... and with Bruno Andrade in support, the Imps would've been a real handful  for many an opponent who play the game several notches further up football's pecking order than the NPL.
So credit where it's due. United were never going to match City for strength in depth, no firepower, but they gave it a bloody good go nonetheless.

The law of averages dictated that somebody going by the handle of: Trialist would score today... and he duly netted the Imps third in the the thirty seventh minute, while an unannounced Whites substitute pulled a goal back for Steve Housham and Nathan Jarman's side, shortly before Adebayo-Smith netted his third (and City's fourth).
FT: Lincoln City 4 v Lincoln United 1

Alas, I'm sad to report that I have a genuine grumble... regarding a very serious matter, that the event organisers need to address, without further ado, to avoid such a nuisance to spectators from reoccurring at the Northolme in the future.  

Arrgh! Make it stop!

The rather successful pop music combo called Queen, have over the years released a grand total of fifteen studio albums, ten live albums, appeared on a further fifteen compilation albums, amassed a stonking great big total of seventy two singles and seven E.P's, along with two soundtrack albums, and nineteen box sets. Some of their output is quite good too... yet before and between the games we were all bored to tears, by having to listen to by the poorest of those albums releases by 'Freddie and the boys', on repeat play. Digress from playing 'The Miracle' with immediate effect, or I'll be bringing a lump hammer along with me next time I visit the Northolme, to adjust the volume of the PA system with. Just saying!

3PM Kick Off
Gainsborough Trinity (0) 0
Lincoln City (2) 3
Elliott Chapman 10
Matt Rhead 27
Jorge Grant 41 pen

Gainsborough Trinity:
Trialist, Cameron Hough, Jamie Green, Trialist, Joe Maquire, Nathan Stanfield, Trialist, Shane Clarke, Gav Allott. Kingsley James, Rod Orlando-Young
Lincoln City:
Josh Vickers, Neal Eardley, Michael Bostwick, Jason Shackell, Harry Toffolo, Ellis Chapman, Jack Payne, Harry Anderson, Jorge Grant, Joe Morrell, Matt Rhead
Subs - Sam Long, Ben Sault, Jack Brown, Careo Sault, Gianlucci Bucci

Jack Payne penalty saved by 'Trialist'

Following a lively start from a very strong looking Lincoln starting line up, during which time Trinity's trialist keeper had kept the Imps at bay, duly assisted by some well timed interceptions from the hosts captain: Nathan Stanfield, the League One club were awarded with a penalty in the seventh minute, when Harry Anderson went to ground, with Jamie Green in close proximity.
It looked like a harsh decision from where I was stood and perhaps justice was done, when the Holy Blues keeper saved Josh Payne's spot kick.

But three minutes later the Imps were in front anyway, when the home side's keeper pulled off another save, this time from Anderson, but was unlucky to see the loose ball roll kindly for Elliot Chapman, who had been following in, just in case, and tucked away the opening goal of the game from close range.

Shortly before half time, ex Stags striker, Matt Rhead, cushioned Harry Toffolo's knock across the Gainsborough six yard box inside the back stick, to give Trinity a mountain to climb after the break.

Joe Maguire went close to pulling a goal back, when he headed narrowly over from Rod Orlando-Young's corner kick, but Lincoln just about sewed up the game (and claimed the inaugural trophy), eleven minutes after the restart, when Jorge Grant successfully found the net from the penalty spot after Cameron Hough had tripped Toffolo inside the Trinity area.

Grant, was of course, on loan to Mansfield Town from Nottingham Forest last season... and only joined up with his Sincil Bank teammates for the first time yesterday afternoon.

Lincoln tried to build on their lead as full time approached, but couldn't quite find the finishing touch again, to complement their pressing game.
FT: Gainsborough Trinity 0 v Lincoln City 3 

Jorge Grant makes it 0-3 from the penalty spot

Lincoln City's back to back wins, and subsequent trophy presentation, saw the final fixture of the afternoon taking on the guise of a second/third place pay off.

A lot of the Imps fans buggered off before the third game... meaning some of them missed the trophy presentation, but it's understandable I s'pose, given that they didn't want to listen to that turgid Queen album again.

5PM Kick Off
Gainsborough Trinity (1) 1
Trialist 23
Lincoln United (0) 1
Danny North 51

It's a (freak) goal!

The third game of the afternoon was a fairly evenly matched and open affair.
In my humble and woefully unqualified opinion, the draw was just about the right result.
Trinity took the lead in the twenty third minute, when an attempted clearance by a United defender crashed off of the shins of the big Trinity trialist, who was playing with a number 17 on his back and rebounded into the back of the visitors net from just inside their goal area.

Inside the final ten minutes of the second half, the former Cleethorpes Town striker Danny North, added the finishing touch to a neat passage of play by the Whites and lobbed the ball into Trinity's net from inside the D on the edge of their area. North's strike clinched the runners up spot for his side, on the strength of goals scored, after they finished the afternoon level on points (and goal difference) with Gainsborough.
And that was that, three games, ten goals and the first ever Community Festival of Lincolnshire Football had reached it's conclusion.
FT: Gainsborough Trinity 1 v Lincoln United 1

It's a(nother) goal!

A great idea for a tournament, had provided an enjoyable and entertaining three three plus hours of lively football, played at a higher tempo and more intense pace that a good number of other pre-season games will be contested at.
Credit is due, in huge amounts, to Gainsborough Trinity, for staging such a well executed and excellently hosted event. And all three teams are to be applauded for the combined effort that they put in too.
More of the same next year would be blooming great... bring it on! I say.

'Twas good to catch up with the 'Retford Imps' today, one of whom, Adam Barlow, covered today's events on his Cataday Crew on Tour blog, which can be perused by clicking HERE
And last, but by no means least, many thanks to the Lincoln United chairman Mr Rob Bradley for his assistance in helping me recognise his players. Top man! Good luck to the Whites this coming season... and to City and Trinity of course.