Report
There was one change to the City starting line-up for this Vanarama Conference game at high-flying Macclesfield Town with Marcus Marshall replacing Conner Robinson.
Although the sun was shining, there was a biting cold chill in the air for this, the Silkmen's first home game since Boxing Day, and once the pre-match formalities were done and dusted play got underway with the hosts kicking off.
Town were quickly on the attack with Moke winning a corner on the 30 second mark but Paul Turnbull's delivery sailed straight out for a throw-in on the opposite flank. City's response saw Ben Tomlinson test Rhys Taylor with a low 25-yard drive.
In the third minute good work from Marshall saw him wriggle free of the challenges but saw his forward ball to Delano Sam-Yorke run through to Taylor and as a lively start to the game continued, both teams were starting to get in some meaty, and fair, challenges.
The first really unfair tackle came from Town's Paul Lewis whose 14th minute lunge on Jake Caprice earned him a yellow card and after the resultant free-kick lead to a corner, Newton's delivery emded up with Sam-Yorke flattened from behind in the box but nothing was given.
The home management team were on their feet after left-back Scott Barrow went down easily under an Arnaud Mendy challenge a couple of minutes later before a sweeping City move ended with Sam-Yorke diverting a Caprice cross wide.
Shortly before the half-hour mark Charlee Adams was left grounded after appearing to fall awkwardly after an aerial challenge but he was quickly back on his feet but clutching the base of his back as a result of his fall.
In the 35th minute a flick over the top saw Mendy & keeper Taylor go for the ball but after both went to ground the assistant's flag indicated a Town free-kick rather than a City penalty.
Play quickly switched to the other end and from their first attack of note the Silkmen broke the deadlock; Denny Johnstone sweeping home a cross from the right after the City defence had got in an initial block.
A couple of minutes after this set-back, Marshall was sprinting forward only to be hacked down cynically by Will Haining who picked up a deserved caution and after a City corner came to nothing, skipper Power was booked for a block on Moke.
Sam-Yorke curled just over as the Fourth Official indicated that a minimum of two added minutes were to be played. These duly passed without further incident.
HT: MACCLESFIELD 1 IMPS 0
Both teams emerged unchanged for the start of second half with City restarting proceedings.
The home side were the first to press with ex-City man Waide Fairhurst winning a corner off Caprice but ex-Town man Nat Brown headed clear. Adams was then replaced by Conner Robinson with the earlier knock clearly catching up with midfielder.
Town were also forced to make a change with Danny Rowe replacing the limping Haining after the home side won a corner. And when the corner was played in, the ball bobbled around before falling to Lewis who prodded past Farman to double his side's advantage.
City responded by winning a corner on the hour mark but Newton's delivery was claimed by Taylor and a minute later Power was bundled over in the box but again nothing was given by the officials.
In the 63rd minute home skipper Paul Turnbull was booked for a foul on Power but Newton's dipping free-kick was held by Taylor and when the Imps won another corner three minutes later Newton picked out Hamza Bencherif whose looping header hit the bar.
Matthew Barnes-Homer for Waide Fairhurst was the Silkmen's second switch with 71 minutes on the clock whilst three minutes later Jordan Burrow replaced Delano Sam-Yorke for the Imps.
City had a great chance to reduce the arrears in the 79th minute when Robinson released Tomlinson but, one-on-one with Taylor, he fired straight at the keeper. At the other end Farman got in a superb double save to keep the Imps in the game.
With time running out Farman got down well to save a low Moke drive whilst City's response saw Marshall drag a 25-yard effort well wide of Taylor's right-hand upright. Tomlinson then blazed over with Bencherif pushed forward in support.
Play switched to the other end with the hosts winning a corner as four additional minutes was indicated; this corner was duly played to Rowe whose cross was met by Barnes-Homer to make it 3-0 to the home side.
FT: MACCLESFIELD 3 IMPS 0
LINCOLN CITY
1 Paul FARMAN
17 Jake CAPRICE
23 Nat BROWN
5 Hamza BENCHERIF
3 Sean NEWTON
20 Charlee ADAMS
12 Arnaud MENDY
8 Alan POWER
22 Marcus MARSHALL
11 Ben TOMLINSON
15 Delano SAM-YORKE
subs
4 Todd JORDAN
9 Jordan BURROW (for SAM-YORKE 74)
16 Conner ROBINSON (for ADAMS 49)
25 Tyrell WAITE
31 David PREECE
BOOKING: POWER (44)
MACCLESFIELD TOWN
1 Rhys TAYLOR
2 Andy HALLS
3 Scott BARROW
5 George PILKINGTON
6 Paul TURNBULL
8 Paul LEWIS
10 Waide FAIRHURST
11 Adriano MOKE
15 Will HAINING
28 Alex GRANT
32 Denny JOHNSTONE
subs
12 Dan COWAN
27 Tomi ADELOYE
29 Matthew BARNES-HOMES (for FAIRHURST 71)
34 Danny ROWE (for HAINING 51)
20 Ritchie BRANAGAN
GOALS: JOHNSTONE (37), LEWIS (52), BARNES-HOMER (90+1)
BOOKINGS: LEWIS (14), HAINING (40), TURNBULL (63)
REFEREE: Robert Jones
ASSISTANTS: Natalie Walker & Chris Ward
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Peter Gibbons
ATTENDANCE: 1,974 (258 City supporters)
