Things started brightly for the Birmingham team on a crisp and chilly afternoon down at Metchley, as they turned their early possession into two quick-fire points. It took some good movement and vision from the team to break the Lincoln defensive line but once they did itseemed as though Birmingham would be set for a good victory.
Lincoln, however, had other ideas, and with their first meaningful foray into Birmingham’s territory they scored their first point, thoroughly against the run of play. The away side then scored another point and suddenly Birmingham’s initial domination was wiped out.
The game then turned into a bit of a stalemate, with sloppy throws and turnovers occurring for both sides, but after 10 minutes or so Lincoln decided to show up, and turned the screw on the Birmingham team, scoring 3 times in quick succession.
The Lions then took a timeout to regroup but it was to no avail as shortly after they conceded 3 more points, making it 8 unanswered scoring possessions for Lincoln.
After half-time Birmingham improved, scoring the first point, but this was quickly nullified by two more points from Lincoln. At this point the away side were the only team converting their chances, despite the actual flow of the game being relatively even.
The game was then over within the next three plays, as Birmingham scored a consolation point shortly before Lincoln wrapped the game up with two more quick points, taking the final score to 12-4.
Birmingham can take positives from this performance, as for the opening plays they looked the better team, but were unfortunately unable to continue this bright start. The movement and vision was neutralised by a strong Lincoln side, and sustaining that will be the key for them as they progress with their season.
Ultimately, they were playing against a first team, and should not be too disheartened with a loss, and a scoreline that perhaps doesn’t reflect the balance of the game.
