Two first half goals condemned the Imps to a 2-1 Coca-Cola League 2 defeat at a wet and windy Wrexham on Saturday afternoon.
City had by far the better of the opening half but a deflected shot from Mark Jones gave the Red Dragons the lead in the 24th minute. This lead was doubled a minute before the break when Chris Llewelyn prodded home after the Imps' defence failed to clear a corner.
Mark Stallard gave City a glimmer of hope when he fired home midway through the second half but the Imps couldn't force a leveller despite pushing men forward in search of one.
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Mark Stallard nets City's goal |
Match report by John Vickers at the Racecourse Ground:
There were three changes to the Imps' starting XI for this Coca-Cola League 2 game against Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground with the three being the loan additions who arrived at the Club on Thursday, namely Nicky Eaden, Mat Birley and Shane Nicholson.
Eaden's return at right-back saw Lee Beevers move across to centre-back with Paul Morgan dropping to the bench whilst Birley slotted into a wide right role, allowing Ryan Amoo to move inside alongside Lee Frecklington - Nat Brown made way.
Nicholson, meanwhile, was back in a City shirt for the first time since he trotted out against Maidstone United in April 1992 and he started in a wide left role with Jeff Hughes once again ruled out through injury.
On the bench, and in addition to Morgan and Brown, were fit-again Martin Gritton, Leon Mettam and goalkeeper Simon Rayner. Amongst the Wrexham substitutes was ex-Imp Maheta Molango.
It was a very wet Welsh Saturday afternoon as the teams emerged from the tunnel and the man in charge was Rutland-based Trevor Kettle.
City kicked off and were quickly on the attack with a burst forward from Lee Frecklington bringing home stopper Michael Ingham into the action in the opening minute; the 'keeper clearing after Steve Evans knocked the ball back to him after Frecklington got the better of Darren Ferguson.
Alan Marriott easily gathered a centre from Kevin Smith at the other end whilst City's response saw Mark Stallard advance down the right before seeing his cross sliced clear by Evans.
The first corner of the game came along in the 10th minute when a Shane Nicholson centre took a deflection before it went behind. When the corner was half-cleared, Jamie Forrester saw his centre headed out by Evans, who was having a busy start to the game.
Wrexham replied with Josh Johnson firing well wide after he cut in from the left whilst a timely interception from Adie Moses led to the Dragons' first corner of the afternoon.
City dealt with that threat though and responded by going on the counter-attack with Frecklington unlucky to see Forrester's pass to him bounce off his knee, enabling the home defence to hammer clear.
At the opposite end, and with the clock showing 18 minutes, Alan Marriott had to be at full stretch to tip a Chris Llewelyn header over the bar. Six minutes later Marriott could only watch as Wrexham took the lead.
The goal came very much against the run of play and came about when Mark Jones tried his luck from 25 yards out. The midfielder struck the ball well but a wicked deflection off Lee Frecklington saw the ball change direction before looping over Marriott and nestling into the back of the net.
This seemed to bring Wrexham to life and a foul by Eaden on Johnson gave them a chance from a set-piece a couple of minutes later; Evans was pulled up for a push though as his header clipped the top of the bar.
Eaden then linked up well with Mat Birley as City looked for a quick response; the latter playing in the former who saw his cross cleared as heavy rain continued to fall.
A Birley centre was then flicked of Stallard's boot by Shaun Pejicl, denying the striker a shot at goal whilst a great move down the right ended up with Stallard seeing his goalbound shot blocked at close range by Lee Roche.
A harsh decision against Adie Moses, who seemed to win the ball off Smith 30 yards from goal, saw the Wrexham midfielder test Marriott from a free-kick whilst the hosts' next foray forward saw them force their third corner.
Ferguson took the flag-kick, picking out Evans at the back post and his header back into the danger area fell to the feet of Chris Llewelyn who had the easy task of diverting the ball past Marriott to double the home side's advantage.
It has to be said that it was a soft goal to concede and things didn't get any better as City looked for a response - a ball into the box clearly struck the arm of a home defender, but referee Kettle was unsighted and waved play on.
After a minute of added time the half came to an end.
HT: WREXHAM 2 IMPS 0
After a half-time rendition of Tom Jones' Green Green Grass Of Home over the PA system the second half got underway with the Imps looking to get back into the game having emerged 2-0 down despite enjoying the better of the opening period.
It was Wrexham though who were quickly on the attack with Marriott palming a Jones shot over the bar with the wet ball flying off his gloves. Six minutes after the restart Marriott had to be alert again when he blocked Llewelyn's header from Johnson's left-sided cross.
Jones then drove wide and Wrexham forced another corner before a change in formation saw Shane Nicholson take up a role in front of the central defensive pairing of Lee Beevers and Adie Moses.
On the hour mark, a foul by Amoo on Jones gave the Dragons a chance from a dangerous position but Marriott easily claimed Jones' effort from the set-piece. Wrexham's next attack saw Llewelyn go down under Moses' challenge in the box but referee Kettle was on the spot and let play continue.
Nat Brown replaced Adie Moses in the 63rd minute with the latter holding his hamstring as the captain's armband was passed on to Lee Beevers.
Brown hardly had chance to touch the ball as the Imps went on the attack - and they did so to good effect with a fine left-footed shot from Mark Stallard bringing City back into the game. Stallard showed a cool head as a cross from the right bounced into his path via the foot of a home defender and his finish was emphatic with the ball fizzing past an exposed Ingham.
City were pumped up now and Stallard came close to adding a second when he fired inches wide following a Forrester centre from the left; Wrexham's response saw Llewelyn fire a foot over the bar from long range.
Frecklington then headed a Birley cross over the bar with the Birmingham loanee switching to the left hand flank whilst a deflected Frecklington shot gave the Imps a chance from a corner in the 75th minute.
Frecklington was then felled inches outside the box as City continued to push for a leveller and when the free-kick was taken quickly the midfielder drilled over after the ball bobbled up as he struck it.
Wrexham replied with Johnson forcing Marriott to tip behind and when the corner came in Marriott tipped Pejic's header onto the top of the bar and out for another flag-kick.
The rain was sweeping across the pitch as Lee McEvilly replaced Kevin Smith with nine minutes on the clock; McEvilly forcing a corner seconds after his introduction.
Martin Gritton then came on for Shane Nicholson as Head Coach John Schofield switched things in a bid to salvage something from the game.
Two City corners came to nothing whilst Johnson shot weakly at Marriott at the opposite end of the field. With three minutes on the clock Paul Morgan came on for Lee Frecklington, who seemed to take a knock a couple of minutes earlier. Lee Beevers pushed forward into midfield to allow Morgan to take up his customary central defensive role.
Just before the Fourth Official indicated that an additional three minutes were to be played Jones drilled a foot wide after he latched on to a McEvilly lay off.
City continued to push men forward in search of a second but the final ball just wouldn't run and when a Birley cross was claimed under the bar by Ingham, referee Kettle brought the game to an end.
FT: WREXHAM 2 IMPS 1
MATCH FACTS
LINCOLN CITY
1 Alan MARRIOTT
12 Nicky EADEN
2 Lee BEEVERS
4 Adie MOSES
3 Paul MAYO
33 Mat BIRLEY
14 Ryan AMOO
7 Lee FRECKLINGTON
31 Shane NICHOLSON
9 Mark STALLARD
22 Jamie FORRESTER
subs
23 Nat BROWN (for MOSES 63)
15 Martin GRITTON (for NICHOLSON 82)
5 Paul MORGAN (for FRECKLINGTON 87)
27 Leon METTAM
13 Simon RAYNER
GOAL: STALLARD (64)
WREXHAM
1 Michael INGHAM
2 Lee ROCHE
4 Shaun PEJIC
5 Steve EVANS
7 Mark JONES
8 Danny WILLIAMS
10 Darren FERGUSON
11 Chris LLEWELYN
15 Mike WILLIAMS
17 Josh JOHNSON
25 Kevin SMITH
subs
9 Lee McEVILLY (for SMITH 81)
3 Ryan VALENTINE
13 Michael JONES
16 Levi MACKIN
18 Maheta MOLANGO
GOALS: JONES (24), LLEWELYN (44)
MATCH OFFICIALS
REFEREE: Trevor Kettle (Rutland)
ASSISTANTS: Rob Merchant & David Unsworth
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Colin Harwood
ATTENDANCE: 3,619 (221 City supporters)
