Report

The Imps travelled to Loughborough Galaxy for their final game of the 2011/12 season, knowing that it would probably be a tough game given the previous game between the two clubs earlier in the season, where the Galaxy had been a tough test for the Imps, but thanks to 4 goals from Ross Tebbett, the Imps did manage t get all three points that day.  For this game, manager Dom Parkhouse had a strong squad out despite numerous absentees the likes of Davis, Mann, Sellwood, Haynes, and Alex Dutton who was suffering with a chest infection and forced to watch from the sidelines.  Sending his squad out with a 4-4-2 shape, Parkhouse himself started in goal, Lunn D Gregory, R Farley and K Dutton played across the back, Tebbett shifted into the midfield alongside Johnny Dixon, Bell started wide left, Dexter wide right, and Andy Ivers returned up front to partner Tommy Adams.  James Hoult, Marvin Spencer and James Farley occupied the bench, Farley making his return to first team action after that nasty eye injury.

The home side picked names and positions out of a hat, and their best players were probably out of position, their structure was all over the place too, and the Imps pounced on this scoring two goals in five minutes.  First a long trademark Ivers throw in from the left flank found Dixon at the near post who flicked his header past the helpless Galaxy keeper, swiftly followed by Adams 4^th of the season as he picked up on a save by the keeper for an easy tap in.  The home side started to come back into it, but never really threatened the Imps goal, and were finding it tough to create any clear cut chances.  Meanwhile, Parkhouse was using the wind to his advantage, sending several kicks straight out for goal kicks.  Chances came and went.  Ivers chipped the keeper and the bar from the edge of the area, D Gregory saw a couple of headers from corner drift over the bar, and the keeper managed to hold a couple more headers from the near post.  Bell finally added a third for the Imps following a good run behind the defence by Andy Ivers and his deep cross found Bell unmarked at the back post, who unleashed a superb powerful first-time volley that cannoned off the keeper as he was unable to hold onto it!

The Imps went in 3-0 up at half time, but it could, and should have been more!  The Imps were going against a strong wind in the second half so would have to change their game, and the manager asked his players to get the ball down and play it on the deck.  And they did just that put in another 6 goals during the second period.  After ten minutes, Spencer and J Farley  were brought on for Bell and Adams, and Spencer made an immediate impact drifting out to the right and whipping a deep cross to the back post where Ivers was lurking, and his header hit the Galaxy keeper and bounced high into the net making the score line 4-0.  Following Ivers goal, he was replace by Hoult from the bench and the substitute was given the opportunity of going straight up front alongside Spencer, Tebbett now out on the left with J Farley resuming his normal central midfield role.

It wasn’t long until the Imps added another, after a long move starting from the Imps keeper moving up the right hand side involving Lunn, Dexter and Dixon, Spencer was put through into the area and was brought down giving the Imps a chance from the spot to make it five,  Spencer wanted the penalty himself, and on any other day he might have been given the nod, but with James Farley the clubs penalty taker making his first  appearance back after missing three game, and seeingDixonconvert three spot kick in his absence, there was no one else who was going to take penalty other than the Imps number 2.  The penalty was pretty central, but it beat the keeper to make it 5 for the Imps.

The home side then finally managed to get the ball in the net, only for it to be ruled offside, but it wasn’t long before the finally scored, albeit it in controversial fashion, a corner drifted into the near post should have been held by Parkhouse, but the striker came in with a high boot and unnerved the Imps number one seeing him lose the ball and watching it bounce into his own net.  The Imps went straight up the other end and added a sixth,Dixonthis time taking the long throw, and the flick on found Tebbett unmarked in the area who finished…just, seeing his shot deflect off the keeper on the way in.  Parkhouse then gifted Galaxy a second, opting to roll the ball out of his area to beat the wind, only to see his kick cut out in the midfield and the Galaxy player had an open goal to aim at with Parkhouse miles out of his area.

The Imps subs continued to impress as Hoult added a seventh goal with his left foot (aided by a wicked deflection into the top left hand corner) following a good cut back from Tebbett in the area.  Spencer then added two goals, to see all three subs score for the Imps; his first a tap in after the keeper managed to parry the original shot, and the second was a bullet header from 6 yards after a decent cross from Dexter from wide right.  The scoring was complete at 9, and equalled the Imps highest score line in a game, and did the Imps goal difference in the league a world of good, seeing them finish on +6 for the campaign.  Despite a string of bad results mid season, the Imps only conceded 39 throughout, not a bad record.

Man of the match went to Spencer for 2 assists and 2 goals in 35 minutes, despite spitting his dummy out, and twat of the match went to Parkhouse for another fine display of ‘Dom-foolery’ in the Imps goal!