Cohen Bramall provides food for thought for Lincoln City’s Michael Appleton

Lincoln City recorded their first victory of preseason with a convincing 2-0 win over neighbours Scunthorpe United on Tuesday evening.

In what’s been a busy week of transfer activity at Sincil Bank to bolster their squad, it was a familiar face that stole the show at Glanford Park last night.

Cohen Bramall put on an impressive display on the left side of Lincoln’s attack, which will have provided Michael Appleton with plenty of food for thought as the opening curtain to the 2021/22 campaign nears ever closer.

The 25-year old made his way through non-league football before being spotted by Arsenal in 2017. As part of their Under 23 squad, Bramall had loan spells at Birmingham and Colchester before joining the Imps in the last January transfer window.

Despite making 17 appearances for the Imps, Tayo Edun has been a key performer in the left-back position but last night suggested that the Imps can accommodate both players, and be the stronger for it.

Playing in an unaccustomed and more advanced left-sided wing role against Scunthorpe, Bramall shone from the get-go. Inside just three minutes, the former Hednesford Town defender had already registered an assist, and on another night, he could well have come away with several assists, such was his potency.

Lincoln’s key ploy to play from right to left throughout the evening with a switch of the play, achieved either through clever work in midfield or a long diagonal switch that caught the Irons defence square at the back.

Considering this was his first appearance further up the pitch, the understanding within which his teammates found him with probing passes looked a scenario that had already been worked on. Tayo Edun linked particularly well with Bramall and, on many first-half occasions, fed his teammate in between the lines to find Bramall in advancing positions.

A smart move in the second minute got Lincoln off the mark playing to the key strengths of those in the red and white stripes. The experienced Liam Bridcutt started the move with a measured forward pass up to striker Tom Hopper who won his header to get Edun moving into the Scunthorpe final third.

Edun’s weighted pass got Bramall away down the left in front of him, and his pull-back found Conor McGrandles inside the box; coolly taking the ball into his path with his first touch before slotting past Billson in goal.

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— Lincoln City FC (@LincolnCity_FC) July 27, 2021

It was the type of slick passing football that Imps have become accustomed to in recent times, and if there were any doubts about preseason results up to that point, the travelling Imps fans would have been pleased with the level of their side’s performance.

Moments later, almost a carbon copy move got Bramall away once more, but McGrandles blazed high and over with an arguably better chance. Again the chief architect of Scunthorpe’s struggles, Bramall put over a delightful ball right across the six-yard box that just evaded Remy Longdon at the far post, which really should have brought Lincoln’s second with greater ambition shown.

Neil Cox in the opposite dugout has heeded the warning, and despite making a change at right full-back, there was no answer to Lincoln’s probing play and Bramall’s pace. Whist Lincoln furloughed a similar path with their forward play immediately after the break; their second goal came from an unlikely source from a direct free-kick.

As the Imps won a free kick on the corner of the 18-yard box, Bramall stepped up to smash a left-footed strike high into the top corner of Billson’s goal. It was some hit for a player that post-match claimed he’d not been practising them in training.

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— Lincoln City FC (@LincolnCity_FC) July 28, 2021

Lasse Sørensen, who came on at half time for his debut, having just joined from Stoke City, showed his class on the ball, linking up with Bramall on two second half occasions, which will excite Imps fans despite the loss of crowd favourites Jorge Grant and Brennan Johnson.

The Danish midfielder had already linked with Bramall to test Billson’s goal before a sublime turn in the centre of the park was followed up with a delightful cross-field pass that got Bramall away down the left, only for his dangerous cross to be cleared behind for a corner.

Sørensen again showed his range of passing, this time finding substitute James Jones’ run into the box, but Billson smothered the full-backs cross with Tom Hopper lurking.

Between Sørensen and Lewis Fiorini, there was plenty to suggest that Lincoln will possess the creativity from midfield that brought them so much joy last season. With Teddy Bishop also to come in, Lincoln should be well-stocked in that area.

In the final ten minutes, youngsters Billy Brooks, Jovon Makama and Freddie Draper got a chance to impress the onlooking Michael Appleton. Brooks saw plenty of the ball in midfield and used the ball well, fitting seamlessly into their passing philosophy. Makama showed game intelligence to win free-kicks with his back to goal, and Draper was unfortunate not to enjoy the fruits of Lincoln’s earlier play as Scunthorpe rallied towards the end.

Josh Griffiths had a steady debut in the Imps goal, although much sterner tests will await him, starting with a trip to Salford City on Saturday.

It was an encouraging performance at full time, with the Imps looking sharp and getting into the groove of their passing game despite their shorter pre-season due to their play-off involvement.

With more transfer activity rumoured to bolster up their injury-ridden backline, there will be a slight sense of relief that despite last season’s disappointment, losing key players and manager for a short period from the touchline, Lincoln looked more like their old selves last night.

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