Lincoln 1:1 Forest

A proper Saturday away game done in the proper way.

In the old days, an away game wouldn't have been the same without getting up early on the Saturday morning with raging hang-over. Old age might have stopped the 3am clubbing experience (ok, maybe not stopped, but it's not EVERY weekend any more) so a more gentile night was spent in the company of a very old friend, The Beechdale.

It's been a few years since I've been in, and it's changed a touch since then, but it's still the same place. 21 years since I first started working there, the memories are still fresh, the Smoking Room, the old dart board, pints of mix, a beef salad cob at lunch-time, towels in the pool table pockets, cheap chips on the way home, good old days.

As an aside, since the smoking ban has come into force in England, my hang-overs have all been considerably reduced. Were my old hang-overs the result of passive nicotine withdrawal ? Mmmmmmmm ..........

So, up on Saturday morning with a touch of a hang-over, easily cured with a sausage, egg & cheese cob at home, and a couple of cans of gassy lager on the train to Lincoln. Sorted.

Lincoln may only be 50 miles away, but judging by the number of police waiting for what was a scheduled train, you'd have thought we'd gone back in time to the bad old days of trouble in the 80's. One officer was clearly on holiday, capturing the moment on his camcorder, while another was dressed for cross-country skiing.

Because we knew that local meatheads would want to shake hands with equally gifted intellectuals from Newark, we decided to get a taxi up the hill and start the days drinking in a quieter part of town. (Thanks to the Lincoln CAMRA web site for the information)

The Victoria is a cracking little pub, real ale and real floor-boards, all housed in an old red-brick coach house near the castle.

Just round the corner to The Strugglers, an award winning place with a real (ok, gas) fire and a good choice of beer.

Along a bit to the Tower Hotel, a more modern place, laminate flooring instead of the old floorboards, but very comfy leather sofas.

From then on the pubs (literally) went a little bit downhill. The Lion & Snake was a little bit too Weatherspoons-ish for my liking,

while the Magna Carta was nice looking outside, but too false inside.

A bit of walk down through the shopping area to the Treaty of Commerce for a quick one before a walk to the ground.

I've been to Sincil Bank several times, but never for a competitive game (it has been 50 years after all !!!). Having bummed my way round a few Scottish Third division grounds, it's of a similar vein, one decent stand, one small stand for your directors and a couple of cheap concrete ends.

The game itself was mostly one way, Forest having ALL the possession for the first 10 - 15 minutes in front of 2,500 very vocal travelling supporters. When McGugan put Forest in front from close range, it was no more than we deserved.

The stats will say that Lincoln didn't manage a single shot on target all game, and in this instance the stats don't lie. Yet the most important stat of the day will dictate that Forest & Lincoln will have to replay a fortnight on Tuesday because Kelvin Wilson is too clumsy to either get his leg out of the way facing the wrong way in his own box or incapable of kicking a ball upwards.

Junior Agogo missed the target when clean through and Kris Commons could have won it with a shot from 40 yards out that cannoned off the bar. Anyone else would have made the effort to get nearer to goal, but the smell of pies from the small directors stand pulled him back.

The game ground to an inevitable draw as Forest, as they are prone to do, failed to break down a ten man defence of a poorer side.

Outside the ground to be greeted by even more of her majesty's finest, firstly blocking the road to the station before letting only a certain number of people through, and then excelling themselves with their desire to stop people sitting where they liked on trains.

A quick one in Foreman's before going home & putting our feet up to watch the best comedy currently on the BBC, Match of the Day.