Match report...
Whilst fit-again Jon Nolan returned at the expense of the injured Arnaud Mendy for this Vanarama Conference game at FA Trophy finalists Wrexham, Tony Diagne was a welcome addition to the substitutes following his lengthy spell out through injury. He was the experience on a young bench which also saw Conner Robinson back in the fold.
Bright sunshine greeted the two teams as they were led out on to the pitch by referee David Rock and once the pre-match formalities were done and dusted play got underway with Wrexham kicking off.
It was a cagey opening with a number of misplaced passes from both teams not helping the flow of things with the first half chance not coming until the sixth minute with Paul Farman saving well with his feet from Kieron Morris. City immediated went on the counter-attack but the end product wasn't forthcoming.
In the ninth minute Neil Ashton left a foot in on Ben Tomlinson; the home skipper had a ticking off from referee Rock but Jordan Cranston's delivery from the set-piece was poor and the Wrexham defence cleared their lines.
Good work from Tomlinson shortly before the quarter-hour mark saw him win the game's first corner and when Cranston excellent flag-kick was met by Jordan Burrow, there to blast home was TOMLINSON from close range to give the Imps the lead.
City pressed for a quick second with Hamza Bencherif fizzing a 25-yard effort wide whilst at the other end the Imps defended well to repel a couple of Wrexham corners.
The hosts pressed again in the 23rd minute and when the ball found its was to Sam Finley on the edge of the box he curled goalwards only for Farman to pulls off a fantastic one-handed save which earned him a deserved round of applause from fans of both sides.
Just after the half-hour mark great defensive work from Caprice saw him shadow the ball out under pressure from Finley and after the Imps cleared a corner, a swift break ended with skipper Alan Power heading a Bencherif cross wide of the target.
Ten minutes before the break a foul by Manny Smith on John Marsden gave the Imps a free-kick in a dangerous position but Power's delivery was claimed by Bachmann. Tom Miller then drilled wide after another Cranston corner caused more problems for the home defence.
Play switched to the other end and when a long throw into the City box wasn't cleared, the ball fell kindly for Kyle Storer who drilled past Farman from 10 yards; his strike probably taking a deflection before hitting the back of the net.
The goal clearly gave Wrexham a lift with Louis Moult prodding a cross over from six yards out before the half ended after one additional minute with City on the attack; a long Miller cross not falling to a team mate though.
HT: WREXHAM 1 IMPS 1
Both teams were unchanged as the Imps got the second half underway with the first action of note seeing Power go in hard on Storer. Home skipper Ashton sprinted half the length of the pitch to get involved in the handbags that followed before before Power was booked and Storer helped off for treatment.
Wrexham's next attack saw Moult head an Ashton cross at Farman, although the assistant's flag was raised as the ball was played in. Marsden was then clattered from behind but the referee somehow let play continue.
An excellent City move ended with a nasty bobble embarrassing Nolan whose effort at goal flew well over the bar before Conner Robinson replaced John Marsden in attack. Shortly afterwards Andy Bishop came on for Louis Moult for the home side.
The Imps pressed forward again with a great Cranston cross nodded wide by Burrow at the back post before a cushioned header from the striker set up Robinson whose first touch saw him drill a low drive across goal and the wrong side of the upright.
Joe Clarke for Jay Harris was Wrexham's second change in the 71st minute whilst four minutes later Robinson was bundled to the deck on the edge of the Wrexham box as he went for a Nolan pass but referee Rock waved play on.
Tomlinson and Farman both needed treatment from physio Kev Oxby either side of the 80 minute mark; the former after the ball hit his face and the latter after the ball hit him a bit further down on his body.
Mark Carrington replaced Kieron Morris for Wrexham before Tomlinson headed a Nolan cross just wide as the game approached its last five minutes. At the other end Brown cleared for a corner which, when played in, was headed downwards by Waterfall and straight at Farman.
City cleared a corner as the Fourth Official indicated that a minimum of four minutes were to be adeed on whilst midway through the added stages, Bencherif headed a deep Power corner wide.
FT: WREXHAM 1 IMPS 1
LINCOLN CITY
1 Paul FARMAN
17 Jake CAPRICE
2 Tom MILLER
23 Nat BROWN
7 Jordan CRANSTON
5 Hamza BENCHERIF
14 Jon NOLAN
8 Alan POWER
11 Ben TOMLINSON
9 Jordan BURROW
10 John MARSDEN
subs
6 Tony DIAGNE
16 Conner ROBINSON (for MARSDEN 58)
18 Kegan EVERINGTON
19 Alex SIMMONS
30 Aidan GRANT
GOAL: TOMLINSON (15)
BOOKING: POWER (49)
WREXHAM
13 Dan BACHMANN
3 Neil ASHTON
4 Manny SMITH
7 Elliott DURRELL
8 Jay HARRIS
9 Louis MOULT
14 Steve TOMASSEN
26 Luke WATERFALL
27 Kieron MORRIS
28 Kyle STORER
29 Sam FINLEY
subs
2 Mark CARRINGTON (for MORRIS 81)
6 Joe CLARKE (for HARRIS 71)
10 Andy BISHOP (for MOULT 60)
12 Dean KEATES
30 Corey ROPER
GOAL: STORER (40)
MATCH OFFICIALS
REFEREE: David Rock
ASSISTANTS: Martin Woods & Matthew Pope
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Steven Mycock
ATTENDANCE: 2,650 (95 City supporters)
