It’s not even 1pm yet the Golden Eagle pub is already starting to teem with fans proudly displaying their colours.
It is a small space in which supporters of both Lincoln and the current visitors, Cheltenham, are packed together. They exchange the occasional joke, but when they say goodbye, they do so with good wishes for the season and firm handshakes.
A few Cheltenham fans occupied one of the stalls at the side of the pub. They look happy. But they could be forgiven for feeling down in the dumps after their team’s start to the League One season.
The Robins have lost eight of their first nine games, with their only point coming from a 0-0 draw against Portsmouth.
More worryingly, last weekend’s 3-0 defeat to Stevenage set an English league record of nine games without a goal to start the season. In total it has been 146 days since Cheltenham struck the league – that was last season. “It was one I had planned for a while ago, but given the results I wasn’t exactly excited for today’s trip,” said Cheltenham fan Scott McIlquham.
Lincoln’s 1-0 win over Cheletnham on Saturday took the Robins to an unwanted record
They have now gone goalless in their last ten matches, one of the all-time record in the English league
‘It just doesn’t look like we’re going to score a goal. Last week we hit the bar. It was hard to watch at times… but I still come to the games.”
His traveling companion Mark Hands, who has supported the club since 1976, added: “You’ve got to support your side, haven’t you? The point is that this intended drought won’t last forever, so you have that kind of hope.
“When I got my ticket for today, my wife said to me, ‘What did you buy that for?’ I replied: “Optimism”. “What do you mean?” she said. I replied: “I want to be there when we score”.’
Cheltenham supporters knew they were in for a tough season after a summer full of changes on and off the pitch. Star striker Alfie May, who scored 23 and 20 league goals in his last two seasons at the club, was the last Robins player to reach the net in May – before moving on to Charlton.
The club also lost three key members of the backroom staff, including director of football Micky Moore, to fellow League One side Shrewsbury.
‘It’s trust. They are not a team that is much worse than everyone else. We’re not terrible,” McIlquham says.
“Don’t expect too much this afternoon,” warns Hands, who as a defender has already used pint glasses to illustrate the team’s tactical shortcomings this season.
Manager Wade Elliott was handed the move on September 21, while former Port Vale boss Darrell Clark was announced as his successor on Friday. He will be under no illusions about the difficulty of the job after watching his new team’s performance from the stands at Sincil Bank on Saturday. A first-half brace from Lincoln’s Danish defender Lars Sorensen secured a 2–0 win.
In reality, the visitors seemed no more likely to end their drought than they had throughout the campaign, and the 118 fans who had made the trip returned home empty-handed once again.
Before kick-off there was optimism in the away match. One supporter waved his arms vigorously at the players as they warmed up, trying to get them to shoot. Those arms were quickly crossed as another painful afternoon passed.
They have missed out on Alfie May (left), who scored 43 league goals in his last two seasons at the club before moving to Charlton this summer.
Former Port Vale boss Darrell Clarke faces a tough task after being appointed manager of Cheltenham on Friday
If a draw is drawn against Fleetwood tomorrow, Cheltenham will equal the record for most games without a goal in the history of the English league.
“We’re still good enough to be in this division,” Hands says with a fist on the table.
‘If you put a ship in the sea without a rudder, where does it go? Nowhere. When you put one on, you’ll see where it goes. Clark is our helm.”
For the sake of the supporters, you have to hope so. Otherwise the good ship Cheltenham will sink faster than the Titanic.