Walling Trip To Wembley Could Have Saved Lincoln

[FF News]

It is disheartening to see Lincoln City once again calling on the fans to bail them out of financial trouble.

The news that the Co-operative Bank has decided it wants its money back is a blow for everyone who thought the club was going in the right direction.

A sum of £380,000 is peanuts to those in the Premier League; Wayne Rooney earns almost that in a week.

However, in the Conference it is a different kettle of fish and it could wreck the club.

I have sympathy for those involved that the club has suddenly been told that it has to cough up the cash.

However, it makes me only increasingly frustrated about the missed opportunities Lincoln have had to actually get some cash in.

I'm talking about the FA Trophy. For four seasons, City have been in the top tier of teams in the Trophy.

They have been in a good position to make progress in a competition that could secure a pay day which would set up the club not just for the following season, but the season after that.

A Wembley final, with 15,000 Lincoln fans travelling down to London, is not out of the question and if the bank had come knocking, there would not be no fear of not being able to find the funds to pay off the debt.

Instead we are in a situation where, once again, the board are shaking the bucket and asking for help.

In my time, I've been fortunate enough to get paid each week and the finances of a football club have not come to hit me.

I know other situations where that has not been the case and it can have a big destabilising effect on the team.

Players will be wondering where the future of the club lies and the coaching staff will face a tough time trying to keep them focused on the task at hand.

A lot of things can affect you mentally when you are a player, but there is no denying it, the future is always the biggest one.

While the finances at Lincoln are not looking bright, I would not be shocked to see some players pondering a move to a club which might be financially better off.

However, it would be massively unprofessional for anyone to chuck in the towel in at Lincoln City now.

It is a team game, and you need to be giving your top effort for the rest of those around you.

If that's not enough, then there is a little bit of selfish motivation you can always draw on.

If you are doing well, then the team is doing better.

Finishing in a side which is knocking on the door of the play-offs is going to give you far more on your CV than being part of a side which fell away because you could not be bothered.

At the end of the day, it gives you a bigger bargaining chip when it comes round to doing those deals.

And who knows, maybe after missing the opportunity of a money-spinning FA Trophy final, a day out in the play-offs could be the tonic Lincoln need for their financial woes?

Read more: http://www.lincolnshireecho.co.uk/

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