The poor forms continues for Michael Appleton’s deflated Lincoln City

Lincoln City slumped to their second successive home defeat, falling 1-0 to fellow League One strugglers Accrington Stanley.

Coby Bishop’s second-half goal proved decisive in securing all three points for John Coleman’s side as the Imps’ poor run of form continues.

Once again at the final whistle, a chorus of boos could be heard at the LNER Stadium with supporters becoming restless at Lincoln’s current plight. For a side that had built a reputation for quick counter-attacking football, the Imps currently look devoid of confidence and creativity.

Michael Appleton discussed wanting personality from his players during their midweek defeat to Portsmouth, but as a collective, Lincoln didn’t show enough character over the 90 minutes to deserve much more than a point out of the game. 

The Imps’ battling qualities under Appleton have served them well until recently, but now struggling for goals, there almost feels an inevitably about results once they concede the opening goal.

What was more concerning was that the Imps looked toothless against a side that had leaked 20 goals in their previous five games and was easily beaten 4-0 by Burton Albion in midweek.

Deploying a 4-1-4-1 formation, Lincoln lacked width and were slow to move the ball out of defence. Lewis Montsma, who has built a reputation as a ball-playing centre half, has looked a shadow of himself in recent games with his distribution, opting for safer short passes when he has the ability to transform the Imps’ attacking play.

Both Jamie Robson and Regan Poole struggled to find the space to get behind the lines, a tactic that usually serves Lincoln so well. 

With Lasse Sorensen and Conor McGrandles struggling for form, the home side often looked laboured and, time after time, needlessly conceded possession much to the frustration of the home support.

The form of skipper McGrandles is quite a concern as his willingness to cover every blade of grass and get into attacking positions is currently a distant memory.

Despite having more than their fair share of the play, Appleton was aware that conceding the first goal had a detrimental effect on his players lacking confidence.

“The stats will say we should have got more out of the game. They scored from their first shot at goal and it took us – possibly because they’re a young group – too long to get over the disappointment.

“But ultimately we fell short and, in the dressing room, you can tell a few of them are suffering a little bit and look a bit anxious in their play.

“We have to have a bit of steeliness and fight our way through it.”

With the introduction of youngsters Dan Nlundulu and Max Sanders, having gone a goal down, Lincoln looked immediately brighter with a change of shape to a 4-4-2 formation.

Despite Nlundulu struggling to make the impact both he and his manager would have liked so far in his Lincoln career, he at least introduced some fight and wasn’t afraid to stand up to Accrington’s antics as they slowed down the clock.

Nlundulu remains a bit of a mystery at this time. He clearly has the physical attributes to cause League One defenders a problem but seems to be playing within himself and lacking belief in his ability.

There is a reason why Southampton have allowed him out on a season-long loan and unlocking that potential will be the ultimate outcome of the deal.

Sanders, whose goal was enough to put Lincoln through to the Second Round of the FA Cup at the beginning of the month, lifted the tempo and showed the ability to switch the play with his long-range passing.

Playing more on the front foot, teenager Freddie Draper had Lincoln’s best chances in the final quarter. He was unfortunate to see his first header flash over the crossbar from Chris Maguire’s cross, but he should have hit the target from six yards with just seven minutes to go. It was tough luck on the 17-year-old who had put in another good shift in the lone striker and was rewarded with the sponsor’s Man of the Match award.

With Lincoln now slipping to 18th place in League One, they are in danger of being dragged into a relegation battle. For Accrington, the victory has lifted them into midtable and they were good value for their victory.

Accrington boss John Coleman was delighted with securing a clean sheet after conceding so many goals in recent weeks. Midfielders Seamus Coneeley and Ethan Hamilton impressed in midfield and were at the heart of Accrington’s best spells in the game.

With the weather conditions causing problems on the M62 to Lincoln, which delayed kick-off, it wasn’t the best preparation for the visitors, let alone getting to grips with the treacherous rain and windy conditions.

“When you’ve conceded as many as we have the clean sheet is the holy grail. Teams were scoring an average of four a game against us before today, so it’s massive.

“Of course you need a little a bit of luck along the way, but the harder you work the more luck you get and we deserved it today.

“Our fans deserve a lot of credit for the way they galvanised our team after the journey they’ve had. I apologised to them after our performance in midweek, but I hope we’ve paid them back now.”

For Michael Appleton, they face a trip to Carlisle in the Papa John’s Trophy before the visit of Hartlepool United in the FA Cup Second Round. Hoping that a break from the league will be a welcome distraction from the pressure of picking up points, Appleton will be looking at personalities to lift the club out of their current league turmoil.

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