Report
There were three changes to the City starting line-up for this Vanarama Conference match against Woking at Sincil Bank Stadium. Will Tom Miller absent through illness, Jake Caprice was recalled at right-back whilst skipper Alan Power returned in place of Arnaud Mendy in midfield. The third change came in attack with Ben Tomlinson replaed by Conner Robinson.
Conditions were breezy as referee Wayne Barratt got things underway with Woking kicking off attacking the Bridge McFarland Stand.
The visitors were the first to threaten with a good second minute save by Paul Farman seeing him deny John Goddard before Scott Rendell was flagged offside. City's response saw Marcus Marshall do well to win a corner but this ended up with the flag going up against Jordan Burrow.
A couple of decisions went against Jordan Cranston who was told to calm down by the referee before a Kevin Betsy cross was cleared behind by Hamza Bencherif for a corner which was dealt with easily. A City corner at the other end caused problems but was cleared and as Woking attacked at pace the move ended with Betsy firing well over.
The visitors pressed forward again in the 20th minute and took the lead in very controversial circumstances; a cross from the right was flicked on and Scott Rendell, looking yards offside, headed home. City's appeals fell on deaf ears after referee Barratt consulted with his assistant.
City had a half-chance to level matters five minutes later when Marshall sprinted down the middle but the ball gathered pace in the strong breeze and Woking keeper Jake Cole was able to come off his line to clear.
After a scrappy period of play some good industrious work by Marshall saw him win a corner on the right and after this was cleared, Adams spotted Cole off his line but his 50-yard effort went over the bar.
One additional minute was indicated by the Fourth Official and in the early stages of added time a shocking high-footed challenge on Farman by Payne somehow saw the Woking man stay on the pitch. If that wasn't enough the referee didn't even award a free-kick, pointing his arm out for a Woking corner.
Payne also appeared to kick out at Farman as the players tangled before the Woking man remaine on the floor as players from both sides squared up to each other. The assistant referee also spotted nothing untoward with Mr Barratt happy to speak to the two captains before play resumed.
When the corner was taken, some four minutes later, the ball was blocked on the line before Jon Nolan was booked for a late foul on Yemi Odubade. Payne, back on the pitch, duly took the free-kick and doubled his side's advantage.
HT: IMPS 0 WOKING 2
City restarted with no changes made during what seemed to be a lengthy interval and were quickly on the offensive with a long Cranston throw into the box seeing both Marshall and Robinson get in efforts only for blocks to come in as well.
At the other end Woking appeals for a penalty for handball after a shot crashed against Brown were waved away before Farman saved from Odubade after a Payne free-kick fell to the striker six yards out.
In the 53rd minute Farman pulled off a superb reaction save to deny Odubade for a second time and as the Imps responded Woking's McNerney was booked for a pull on Burrow's shirt.
Ben Tomlinson replaced Jon Nolan shortly afterwards with a formation switch to 4-4-2 and although this injected an extra spark, play remained at the City end with a clear dive in the box by Joey Jones under a Cranston challenge resulting in nothing whatsoever. No penalty but no caution either!
A couple of Woking corners followed before Farman spreads himself well to deny Odubade again after the visiting striker pushed Bencherif off the ball before having a sight of goal. An offside flag denied Woking a third in the 71st minute with the assistant taking ages before making the decision against Odubade.
In the 77th minute Delano Sam-Yorke replaced Robinson for the Imps with Giuseppe Sole coming on for Odubade for Woking at the same time. Sole's first touch saw him fire over after Rendell escaped the offside flag.
Three minutes after his arrival, Sam-Yorke won a corner on the left but Power's delivery was headed wide by Brown. Betsy was then replaced by Adam Newton. Good work by Cranston then saw him skip past his man but his cross was over-hit and the ball went out for a goal-kick.
Brown picked up an 86th minute booking for a trip on Sole before a third and final Woking change saw Kieran Murtagh replace Mark Ricketts.
Four additional minutes failed to provide anything noteworthy, apart from another save from 'man of the match' Farman.
FT: IMPS 0 WOKING 2
LINCOLN CITY
1 Paul FARMAN
17 Jake CAPRICE
23 Nat BROWN
5 Hamza BENCHERIF
7 Jordan CRANSTON
20 Charlee ADAMS
8 Alan POWER
14 Jon NOLAN
22 Marcus MARSHALL
16 Conner ROBINSON
9 Jordan BURROW
subs
10 John MARSDEN
11 Ben TOMLINSON (for NOLAN 56)
15 Delano SAM-YORKE (for ROBINSON 77)
28 Tom DAVIES
30 Aidan GRANT
BOOKING: NOLAN (45+5), BROWN (86)
WOKING
23 Jake COLE
4 Mark RICKETTS
5 Joe McNERNEY
6 James CLARKE
7 Josh PAYNE
9 Scott RENDELL
11 Kevin BETSY
17 Yemi ODUBADE
21 Joey JONES
22 John GODDARD
32 Chris ARTHUR
subs
2 Adam NEWTON (for BETSY 82)
8 Kieran MURTAGH (for RICKETTS 88)
10 Giuseppe SOLE (for ODUBADE 77)
12 Charles BANYA
31 Andy LITTLE
GOALS: RENDELL (20), PAYNE (45+5)
BOOKING: McNERNEY (55)
MATCH OFFICIALS
REFEREE: Wayne Barratt
ASSISTANTS: Ian Johnston & Dean Bradshaw
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Stuart Richardson
ATTENDANCE: 2,347 (83 visiting supporters)
