Lincoln City (U18s) 3-1 Doncaster Rovers (U18s)

Lincoln City (U18s) 3-1 Doncaster Rovers (U18s)

FA Youth Cup First Round

Wednesday 26th October 2022

Referees sometimes want to be the centre of attention and Mr Lee Hartley (of the Lincolnshire FA ironically enough) is a contender for the latest ‘Prat On The Pitch’ award after showcasing his stupidity in this FA Youth Cup First Round game.

Spoiling a decent game between two good teams (of which Lincoln were the better one), he brandished a straight red card to Rovers substitute Harry Wood just 40 seconds after he’d come on - judging him to have cynically fouled MJ Kamara in a 50-50 tackle when the reality was a yellow card would have been a harsh punishment.

Poised at 1-1 in the game at that point, after Jack Goodman’s early opener had been cancelled out thanks to a strike by the impressive Tayo Tucker right on half-time, the Imps (who played some good football at times) soon took the lead thanks to Nathan Kabeya before Julian Donnery added a third deep into injury-time.

Between the Imps’ last two strikes, Mr Hartley also demonstrated his urgent need to visit Specsavers for a free eye test - turning a blind eye (or does he just have blind eyes?) to a deliberate handball inside the box when Goodman would have otherwise been clean through on goal.

If I was writing this on my iPhone I’d be searching the ‘poop’ emoji to describe his display. Nobody wants to remember a referee but this guy's name won't be forgotten for some time to come due to being… [where’s that poop emoji when you need it].

Match Report

The FA Youth Cup is the highlight of the season for every player (and some referees); an opportunity to get noticed, play under the floodlights, in decent stadiums and infront of a bigger-than-normal crowd. 

It’s the big one for players and the first team management from both clubs were present at this game.

Both Lincoln and Doncaster have enjoyed a decent start to the North-East Youth Alliance season and drew 0-0 in another cup clash (the Professional Development League Cup Group Stages) just over a fortnight ago. 

The Imps probably went into this First Round tie with more confidence; being at home and having scored two very late goals to beat Rotherham and hit top spot in the North-East Youth Alliance on Saturday, whereas Rovers lost 2-0 at Huddersfield in a game where, apparently, they just didn’t convert their chances.

Lincoln wore their traditional red and white stripes with Rovers in their ‘Forest Green’ away colours of black and fluorescent lime green and, after Louis Nesbitt and Jack Goodman had shots at opposite ends inside the first five minutes, it didn’t take much longer for the opening goal to be scored.

It went in Rovers’ favour as Goodman got in-behind, judging the bounce of a ball better than his marker who he held off, before he let fly with a sizzling shot which beat Imps ‘keeper Isaac Allen for power at his near-post and cannoned into the net off the woodwork.

It was a dream start and at 1-0, Donny looked solid for a while - knocking the ball around in a composed manner, portraying confidence and with Jack Raper orchastrating and involved in quite a few bits and pieces.

Lincoln, nevertheless, nearly equalised on 18 minutes in a bizarre moment which saw Rovers ‘keeper Jake Oram play the ball straight out to Bailey Adamson. He was quickly closed down and when his shot ricocheted across the area to Julian Donnery, he could only put the rebound over the upright. 

Sixty seconds later, Tayo Tucker flashed a shot wide after showing some nifty footwork for the first time on the night.

Goodman drilled an effort wide from 20 yards at the other end as Rovers sought to double their lead, and as the half-hour mark came and went, they still looked reasonably comfortable.

Max Adamson then needed treatment for a knock for a few minutes and when the game resumed, Lincoln finally began to grab the initiative and build up some momentum approaching half-time - forcing five corners in quick succession. MJ Kamara was left unmarked at the first and would have equalised had his effort not been deflected over by Charlie Petch, before the Imps’ No.6 also had a goalbound header (from the third of those corners) which Oram somehow tipped across the goalmouth and wide of the far-post, whilst Tucker was also denied from the fourth set-piece.

The pressure was certainly intensifying and, after Nesbitt lashed a shot into the side-netting from an ever-narrowing angle having been slipped through, it was clear what Rovers badly needed more than anything was the half-time whistle.

However, disaster struck with practically the last kick of the half as Lincoln equalised!

It was a quality finish by Tucker who stabbed the ball into the net on the back of some brilliant build-up play where the ball was moved from the right flank inside towards Donnery on the edge of the ‘D’, and he had the intelligence and awareness to move it out wide quickly to Theo Mussell who spotted the run of Tucker which allowed him to finish the move off. There was a little deflection which helped Lincoln along the way in the move, but the rest of it was quick, sharp, incisive and quality play. 1-1.

That goal bore multiple similarities to Rivaldo’s equaliser for Brazil against England in the 2002 World Cup (especially the timing of it) and it certainly altered the mood around Sincil Bank. 

Going in ahead at the interval would have given the Rovers players a huge psychological lift but instead it was Lincoln who now held the momentum heading into the second period - and the rejuvenated Imps certainly showed their extra-confidence after the restart as they pressed hard for another goal to turn the tie around completely.

Tucker demonstrated more nifty ‘twinkle-toed’ footwork with a neat step-over and release pass to find Kabeya, who flashed a shot very narrowly wide and when Charlie Petch was judged to have fouled Bailey Adamson just a few minutes later, Donnery’s resulting 20-yard free-kick forced a save from Oram.

Whilst there was a brief moment of respite for Rovers when Faris Khan’s glancing header from Tom Parkinson’s left-wing cross drew a decent low save at the other end, the Imps’ pressure was definitely cranking up and Charlie Petch produced a brave block deep inside his own box to thwart Bailey Adamson after he got on the end of Osei Boffeh’s cross.

Oram also had to get down well to smother the ball at Nesbitt’s feet and effectively cut-out the danger following Tucker’s deft ‘dink’ of a through ball in another move, and with Lincoln’s corner count also rising as sharply as energy prices as the hour mark arrived, it was the hosts who held the momentum.

Rovers sought to freshen things up as Harry Wood was brought on for Khan but only 40 seconds after his introduction, the referee decided this was his ‘It’s All About You’ moment and quickly became the centre of attention.

After a 50/50 challenge between Wood and Kamara; a ball which both players were entitled to go for, Wood was left astonished as he was instantly shown a straight red card - despite the fact it was his first involvement in the game of any kind. He did catch the Imps player (that bit can’t be denied) and on a very worst-case scenario it might be argued that it was a yellow. However, the referee didn’t help himself (or couldn’t help himself - you can decide which) as he pulled a red card straight out of his pocket, somewhat reacting to Kamara who was squealing on the floor and exaggerating things (which he’s entitled to do), brandishing it before he’d even given himself any thinking time to decide on the best course of action. 

Rather than a ‘harsh’ red card, it was rash officiating, lacking common sense, and a wrong decision which Rovers had every right to feel aggrieved about. Even a p*ssed up Postman Pat would have handled things differently but when a referee wants the focus to be on them, nobody can help an idiot.

With Lincoln already on top when it was 11v11, playing against an extra man was always going to be harder for Rovers but Oram continued to do his best to deny the Imps - getting the slightest of touches to tip the excellent Oisin Gallagher’s free-kick onto the post and then in their next attack by parrying wide a near-post effort from Tucker.

However, Lincoln finally made that elusive breakthrough to go 2-1 up from the subsequent corner.

Gallagher (I think) swung the ball in and after the Rovers defence couldn’t properly clear their lines, the ball fell to Kabeya who seized his moment and rifled his shot into the top corner before being mobbed by his team-mates. They knew victory was now very much within their grasp with less than a quarter-of-an-hour remaining.

To their credit, Rovers didn’t give up or let their heads drop completely, and they gave it a damn good go in the latter stages with Josh Lindley forcing a save with a low drive from the edge of the area whilst Goodman broke in-behind and also tested the quickfire reactions of Allan who managed to thwart him.

There was another incident where a Lincoln defender slipped inside his own box and deliberately used his hands to knock the ball away from Goodman who would have broken clear had he not done so. It should have been a penalty but, predictably in many ways, the referee either didn’t see it - or did see it and chose to play on regardless. Neither would surprise me.

As one might expect, Lincoln’s players also wasted whatever time they could in the dying minutes - even to the point of a substitute kicking the ball away and the bench throwing another ball onto the pitch just as a Rovers player was preparing to take a throw. You can't blame them for stifling the game (and I'll never moan about those tacics because it's human nature to want to win) yet that all went unpunished with the referee not even warning them. However, when Oram tried to quickly take a free-kick in line with the linesman's flag following an offside, he was told to 'get back a few yards' by Mr Hartley - thus allowing Lincoln's defenders some extra seconds to set themselves up! Bizarre!

There was to be a fourth and final goal on the night and it was scored by Donnery as he broke away on a counter-attack, drove into the box on the inside-left and finished well under pressure from a tight angle with his left foot to put the game to bed. 3-1 - and that was that!

Lincoln City: Isaac Allan, Nathan Kabeya, Osei Boffah, Oisin Gallagher, Theo Mussell, MJ Kamara, Julian Donnery, Louis Nesbitt, Bailey Adamson, Kyrell Wheatley, Tayo Tucker. Subs: Sam Green, Kye Perkins, Darryl Powell, Jersey Lopez, Denny Oliver, Russell Berko, Zane Okoro.

Doncaster Rovers: Jake Oram, Alex Fletcher, Jak Whiting, Josh Lindley, Charlie Petch, Will Flint, Faris Khan, Jack Raper, Jack Goodman, Max Adamson, Tom Parkinson. Subs: Tom Chambers, Freddie Allen, Justin Bennett, Will Green, Owen Scattergood, Harry Wood, Chris Pooley.

Overall Thoughts

Ultimately, Rovers will no doubt feel ‘gutted’ to have been beaten but more so aggrieved at some of the poor decisions which the referee made during the latter stages that contributed to the result.

Lee Hartley deserves all the criticism he'll receive for his performance. An assessor (and I hope he was being assessed) would have pulled him up on so many more things and not just the two key decisions he got wrong. He lost people's trust and respect in the process, didn't explain anything to the players - just told them to go away because he didn't want to be questioned, and his decisions late on in the game were very strange and very bizarre indeed.

Probably the saddest part is Lincoln didn’t need any help whatsoever from him because the quality of what they produced of their own accord was really good. Overall, they were the better team on the night and they had more about them in the final third - although because of Mr Hartley nobody will ever know just how things might have transpired had it stayed 11v11. Even after going down to 10 men, Rovers created two good chances and had a penalty shout. So who knows?

After a slow first 30 minutes where Rovers were on top, Lincoln worked their way into the game, built up some pressure and had a certain zip about their play thereafter. It was at a good intensity, the full-backs - Nathan Kabeya and Osei Boffah, caused problems with how they pushed up high to supplement attacks, they dominated territorially in the second half and having watched them a few times, they’re clearly a well-drilled team who will get very close to winning the North-East Youth Alliance this season.

Individually, Tayo Tucker produced some terrific bits of individual play, was a threat with his jinking footwork and was a pleasure to watch because his contributions stood out a mile. It was sometimes stylish, sometimes silky, and he took his goal well to make it 1-1, whilst the build-up to that equaliser itself was very good.

Oisin Gallagher, I also thought was fantastic. From some of the set-pieces he played into good positions to how he got on the ball, infront of the play and how he read situations, he was another strong contender for any ‘Man Of The Match’ award and it backs up a few performances which I’ve seen from him recently where he’s left a positive impression. There’s no two ways about the fact that he’s a good player at this level and a good player to watch. 

Also, Julian Donnery, another of the most troublesome players of the league in my opinion, showed fine composure and technique with his finish to put the result to bed late on. He also set-up the equaliser - owing to great awareness to spot his unmarked team-mate and whilst I think he’s far better out wide than he is through the middle, he’s someone else whose talent is noticeable. He's had far more eye-catching games than this one (and he still scored in this one) so I’d like to think that his name will also be up there in the very near future when it comes to handing out professional contracts. If the Imps don't sign him they might lose him and the last thing they'll want is another Sam Clucas situation developing.

On the night, Jake Oram was probably the best performer in a Rovers shirt simply by virtue of how many saves he pulled off and Charlie Petch was another who made a good contribution with some dogged defending and important blocks. Jack Raper also started the game really positively (that got noticed); Josh Lindley had an okay spell in the second half for a 10-15 minute period and Jack Goodman took his goal well to end his little drought.

But more was needed at times to really get at Lincoln and cause them problems. It was sometimes too direct and from the point when the Imps equalised, they always looked the more likely team to score the next goal too. They played the better football and apart from Faris Khan’s header, all the other chances were for Lincoln and the reality is they were unlucky not to have established a lead before the red card incident.

I sincerely hope Harry Wood isn’t too downbeat or gutted about what happened. It will hurt, there will be disappointment and he might feel as if he’s let his team-mates down when the reality is he’s been the victim of an injustice and a poor refereeing decision. He’s certainly not let anyone down and he’ll gain character from this adverse situation.

Since the start of the season, I’ve had a running joke with Woody - bantering him by asking if he’s scored yet. He hasn’t (as I know) and the reason behind the joke is because I’ve got full belief in his ability and know that when he gets one then it'll unlock the Harry Wood who can be a big player in this team. In the defeat at Harrogate, he got into decent positions but just didn’t get the service. He had a ‘blinder’ in one pre-season game which left a good impression and he’s had a few close shaves since then where the goal has nearly happened. He gets his shots off quickly, loiters into dangerous areas during attacks and possesses that intelligence and quality to make him a big threat.

He was trusted by Frank Sinclair in this game to go on and get the winner; it didn’t happen because of a poor refereeing decision but nobody will lose faith in him because of that! And I know that sooner or later - possibly when he gets a consistent string of regular game-time, he'll score goals, he'll set them up and come into his own to the point where he'll start to regularly walk off the pitch in a very different manner; buzzing with confidence and feeling 100ft tall because he's playing well.

It will happen - and having watched 1,600+ games in my lifetime, I back my judgements and I don't doubt my own judgements.

So keep your head up, don’t lose confidence and when the first goal does go in you can expect a massive high-five from myself afterwards - especially if it’s a last-minute winner. I know he’s got it in him to deliver the goods and that moment when he does will feel very satisfying indeed!

For Rovers as a whole, the disappointment will be understandably raw for a few days but what the lads must do now is regroup quickly and get the grit back between their teeth because there’s a very important league fixture against Grimsby on Saturday which needs to be won - and the title race is wide open this year.

This disappointment should be used as fuel to burn the fire.

This battle is lost in terms of progressing in the FA Youth Cup - and Lincoln have the next round to look forward to, but the war is winning the Youth Alliance. Nobody gets medals for finishing in second place. Nobody gets to hear ‘We Are The Champions’ unless you finish in top spot. Three points against Grimsby on Saturday (which will be a hard game as they’ll be fired up after losing last week), then three more in the next meeting with Lincoln in a few weeks will more than make up for this disappointment.

That has to be the drive. That has to be the focus. That has to be the ambition now. Achieve that and self-confidence will be sky high again and the grit between the teeth will be being chewed ferociously because the North-East Youth Alliance is wide open this year. Anyone can beat anyone and the title is there for the taking.

Let it be you!