Confessions of a Twenty Something

...Never the Bride.

Lincoln City's FOURTH consecutive playoff experience saw them again on the losing side going out 3-1 to the Codheads on aggregate after drawing the game level during the first half of the second leg.

At least we don't have to go to the Millenium Stadium again .... the traffic is terrible.

Could we be seeing League One Football here next Season?

That's what my stomach feels like. It is half time and the Imps are 1-0 down, but not disheartened. It's a couple of hours to kick off (Join us on Sky Sports!) and I am a wreck. I hate the play-offs. Apparently no side has been in the playoffs four times without making promotion. Hmmm.

Reasons to be hopeful:
1. We play better away from home
2. Grimsby hadn't won at the Bank since the 50's before Saturday. We don't have a great record at Blundell Park either, if they can beat the odds why can't we?
3. We WANT it!!!
4. We managed to get the ball into the next twice as many times as the Codheads on Saturday. Unfortunately they were disallowed goals (the second one was offside, but the first one was fine - the referee was a disgrace generally though).
5. Past experience in the other divisions - no team managed to win at home in the first leg, but the same has happened in the second leg too so far!!

Reasons not to be:
1. We are 1-0 down so have to get a goal to even draw it even
2. This isn't a fairy story

Wish us luck - 2 and a quarter hours and I might even be able to eat something without feeling ill if we pull it off!

So a draw against an impressive and now-promoted Leyton Orient (well done Buze!) and a victory against fellow-play-off hopefuls Shrewsbury Town last Saturday saw us going into the last day of the season needing a point and one of our season-famous draws to assure our place in the playoffs for the FOURTH consecutive season - and we did it!!

We now face our local rivals, Grimsby "codhead" Town in a two-legged semi-final (tickets went on sale for the home leg at 9am this morning for season ticket holders. My mother was duly dispatched to the City on her day off - I am proud to say she was sixth in the queue and the tickets were purchased before quarter past nine!!). For those of you who I have convinced to follow the fortunes of the Imps this season, you can watch the final (hopefully three!!) games of our season - firstly by tuning into Sky Sports 2 on Saturday at 12pm (just before the FA cup final) and again Tuesday night for the second leg at Cleethorpes. Sunday 28th May sees the Millenium Stadium and Sky Sports hosting the play-off final - and hopefully we will be there!

It's a bit difficult for me to be over-excitied about qualifying for the playoffs this year for two reasons. Firstly, it is the fourth season in a row that we have done it, but more importantly, secondly, we haven't managed to get promoted via the playoff route on any of these occasions. What one must remember is this - yes, we have made the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, but in the SAME division. We just desperately need to make this the last attempt by suceeding. And so I don't want to get TOO excited, because I don't want to put the kiss of death on it all!!