Will unbeaten record be taken to York Street
By Nathan Jackson
March 10 2006
The Imps go into Saturday's match against Rushden and could continue the only unbeaten record in 2006 in the division. If the Imps do manage to avoid defeat at home to Rushden for the first time, it will mean that the Imps will travel to York Street next week on the back of the best run in years.
The away game with Rushden this season saw a first for the Imps when Dean Keates scored directly from a free kick, the first Imp to do so in a league game under the 2nd reign of Keith Alexander. Now we’re facing the Diamond’s at home, hoping to break their 100% winning record at Sincil Bank after 3 wins from their 3 visits to Sincil Bank in their short history. Infact, last season’s 4-1 victory at City do have a good record of ending team’s dominance over them. This season, the Imps had ended a 37 year winless run against Notts County at home, a 6 years winless run against Torquay and even managed go on a run that has seen the Imps just lose once since the 4-1 thrashing at Cheltenham. Interestingly, the Imps’ haven’t lost on a Saturday since October. Infact, the Imps remain as the only side in the division to be unbeaten in 2006 but that means that City have now become on of the teams that everyone wants to beat and if the Imps do avoid defeat against Rushden, it means taking that unbeaten record to The Imps do have Paul Mayo back from injury, however the postponement of City’s midweek reserve game made Keith Alexander state that there wasn’t a single chance of Mayo making an appearance on Saturday. Infact, there are no major worries for the Imps going into the game against Rushden although one thing that remains to be seen is if Steve Robinson returns to the side after being mysteriously dropped (again) in the last home game. There should be no major surprises in the team selection though with Hughes, McCombe, McAuley and Cryan in defence, whoever in midfield, Birch, Yeo and Green up front and Ollie Ryan will be where his skill deserves him to be….in the stands. Who I think will start (Right to left) Marriott Cyran McAuley McCombe Hughes S/Robinson Brown Kerr Green Birch Yeo You know, I would feel sorry for Rushden if it wasn’t for Barry Hunter’s ignorance after we beat his side 4-1 last season, what a sore loser he was and quite frankly, I find it highly amusing that his first venture into management is falling apart. That is nothing against Rushden as a football club but just against the arrogance of a man who was in the job 5 minutes before trying to alienate himself from every other manager in the league. Rushden don’t actually had a bad squad in theory. Striker Drewe Broughton is a well travelled striker who almost joined the Imps earlier in the season but pulled out because of injury and Phil Gulliver, a talented young defender signed from Middlesbrough, was in the Bournemouth side that beat the Imps 5-2 in the playoff final a few years ago. The defender was voted as the Diamond’s best player by the recent joke a poll in FourFourTwo. Another talented youngster is Mikolanda, a player on loan from West Ham. Rushden have struggled since their chairman left in the 2003/4 season and it became obvious after that, that they have clearly been punching above their weight as they have fallen quicker than a certain Celebrity Big Brother will when she realises that no-one gives two shits about her or her relationship with someone who hardly anyone had heard of before the show. Rushden are on the verge of relegation and lay 23rd, 3 points off safety.
