THE curse of the cameras, big-match phobia, or even serial chokers are words on the lips of many Forest Green Rovers supporters, trying to explain away the 3-1 defeat at main rivals Lincoln City on Saturday.

The truth is Rovers fell into a well-laid ambush. The pitch was prepared to be hard, dry and bobbly. This hampered the passing game preferred by FGR.

Lincoln’s approach is less sophisticated. The playing surface was less of a problem for them.

They knew how to tackle Rovers; goalkeeper Sam Russell loves to pass the ball to nearby defenders who initiate attacks out of defence. That wasn't possible on Saturday.

Sam was continuously challenged by opposing forwards, forcing him to kick from hand or get rid of the ball quickly, kicking long and high.

This played into the hands of the taller Lincoln team.

Nevertheless the first half went well. Goal machine Christian Doidge kept calm and gave Rovers a lead they held until half-time. Lincoln had scarcely threatened apart from two headers from set pieces.

The plan for the second half was simple. Hold on for the first 15 minutes and as crowd and players become frustrated nick another goal.

Not easy, of course, but Rovers had to stand tall otherwise they would have been browbeaten or bullied by Lincoln’s brand of in-your-face football.

This did not happen. Rovers wilted, individually and collectively.

The Imps took total control scoring three goals without reply. It could have been more.

Fans bemoaned the absence of Ethan Pinnock. I yearned for the presence of Charlie Clough. Injuries like the one suffered by Ethan are unavoidable; the selling of Clough was.

Could he not have been kept until the end of the season? He was missed on Saturday.

So was Keanu Marsh-Brown. He frustrates and angers me but at times thrills and delights. He is certainly a big-match player and this could have been his day.

To sum up, there were too many self-inflicted wounds on Saturday. Too many free kicks were conceded in difficult positions.

We escaped in the first half, but not in the second, the killer third goal coming direct from one such kick.

New signing Curtis Tilt came on and Rovers went three at the back, but to no avail. Plan A had failed and when Plan B was put into action it was too late.

It was a long journey home, made even worse for me by the non-appearance of the girl with the enchanting eyes. Not a good day at all.

There has been much other good news, however. Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is going to announce a profit – one of approximately £100,000.

This is a fine result. I am not yet in a position to give details but I suggest this is because of increased T20 gates.

The Bristol floodlights and good marketing by the club have made Friday evening matches an exciting prospect.

They are tough to get to from Cirencester but much easier for Bristol fans. The figures speak for themselves. Ground development is now paying off. The cricket budget must benefit as a result.

The other good news was a win for Cirencester Town FC. Redditch were beaten by the odd goal in three.

The fight is in no way won but are we not seeing the green shoots of a spring-time recovery?

I make no apology for returning to my visit to Lincoln. When Jimmy ‘The Chin’ Hill was manager at Coventry, taking them from Division Four to Division One, he said: “You can beat a team, but you cannot beat a team and a city.”

I dismissed this as one of his glib phrases. Not anymore. I saw at Lincoln exactly what he meant. You could sense the buzz, the optimism and the genuine hope as you neared the ground.

Overflowing car parks, thronged streets, queues for tickets, programmes and beer.

When the Dambusters March was played before kick-off the atmosphere was magical.

Lincoln have enjoyed a fine season and are surely heading back to the Football League.

Only the small minded could do anything other than wish them well. The home-based press corps wished me well, saying they were sorry they would not see me again.

My response was “you will if we win the play-offs”. I did not add the curse of the cameras must be conquered first.