City left it late against Barnet to chalk up their first win of the season, with goals from Dany N'Guessan and debutant Adrian Patulea securing a 2-0 victory.

With the exception of some brief Barnet pressure at the beginning of each half, City dominated the game with Rob Burch rarely troubled between the sticks. At the other end chances came and went but in the end the Imps' pressure counted when N'Guessan fired City in front in the 75th minute, netting after a Lenny John-Lewis shot came back off the post.

It was left to debutant Adrian Patulea - on as a 68th minute substitute - to make sure of the points when he fired home on the turn as N'Guessan played in the Romanian.

Manager Peter Jackson switched things around to a 4-3-3 formation with skipper Scott Kerr returning in the centre of the park after recovering from a back injury which forced him to miss the 1-1 draw with Grimsby Town. The tactical change saw Lenny John-Lewis drop to the bench and with sickness ruling out Aaron Brown, Lee Beevers slotted in at left-back.

Prolonged showers over the course of the previous 24 hours and an almighty downpour as the teams lined up for the kick-off made for a very damp playing surface as rookie referee Craig Pawson got things underway.

STARTING FORMATION
BURCH
GREEN			KOVACS			SINCLAIR			BEEVERS
FRECKLINGTON				KERR				OAKES
GALL				WRIGHT				N'GUESSAN

Barnet were quickly out of the traps, winning a corner on the 60-second mark and when Janos Kovacs headed this clear, foul by Lee Frecklington on Albert Adomah gave the Bees a chance from another set-piece but the ball thankfully sailed through to Rob Burch.

At the other end City forced a couple of throw-ins which led to nothing and when Frecklington was flattened by a late Neil Bishop challenge, referee Pawson had words with the Barnet man after letting play carry on. The challenge certainly looked worthy of a caution but the man in green deemed otherwise.

A swift City break in the 10th minute ended with Dany N'Guessan fizzing a right-footed effort past the post whilst a foul on Scott Kerr a couple of minutes later saw Stefan Oakes drive goalwards, forcing Ran Kadoch to make his first save of the afternoon.

The Imps were certainly enjoying the better of things as the quarter-hour mark came and went with a superb cross-field Oakes pass to the overlapping Beevers seeing the latter win a corner but when the ball was played in Beevers was penalised for a push on Cliff Akurang.

With the rain coming down heavy again, a late lunge on Beevers from Ashley Carew saw the Barnet man pick up a yellow card with Oakes' free-kick being headed behind for corner number two. Kadoch claimed Oakes' delivery from the quadrant with ease though.

Midway through the opening period, Kevin Gall chipped an effort from the right on to the roof of the net whilst Barnet 'keeper Kadoch looked to be struggling shortly afterwards, being unable to take goal-kicks. The Israeli, holding his thigh, received lengthy treatment before being replaced by the experienced Lee Harrison in the 33rd minute.

When play resumed an N'Guessan cross to Gall ended with the latter seeing his header hacked clear by Joe Devera whilst the Imps kept up the pressure, forcing two corners in quick succession as they went in search of a breakthrough.

A head injury to Ismail Yakubu saw another lengthy stoppage in play as the half approached its final five minutes whilst it was Bishop's turn to hit the deck following a challenge by Beevers but referee Pawson told the midfielder to get up and get on with things. All this, however, added up to just three additional minutes, and they passed without incident.

HT: IMPS 0 BARNET 0

Both teams emerged unchanged for the start of the second period with City now attacking the Stacey West Stand end of the stadium.

As was the case at the start of the game, Barnet were quickly off the mark, with a foul on Adomah by Kovacs giving the Bees a chance from a set-piece but Kerr intercepted the near-post delivery allowing the Imps clear their lines.

A Barnet corner quickly followed but again the Imps held firm and centre-backs Sinclair and Kovacs had to be on their guard to intercept balls into the box as the visitors began the second half brightly. At the other end a Gall cross was sliced into Harrison's gloves by Devera as the sun made a welcome first appearance of the afternoon.

Gall then fired into the side netting from a narrowing angle before the rain reappeared with a vengeance whilst Wright headed a Frecklington cross a foot the wrong side of the upright as the Imps pressed again on the hour mark.

A double change for City in the 68th minute saw Adrian Patulea and Lenny John-Lewis and replace Ben Wright and Kevin Gall up front. Debutant Patulea's first touch saw him win a corner but the Barnet defence subsequently scrambled the ball clear.

The first stoppage of the second half came when Barnet midfielder Paul Mitchell picked up a head injury. When play resumed, City broke forward and grabbed the lead.

The clock was in the 75th minute when the net bulged with John-Lewis twisting his marker in the box before firing goalwards and when the ball rebounded off the post, there was DANY N'GUESSAN to stroke the ball into the empty net.

Barnet boss Paul Fairclough responded by making his first outfield change with Luke Medley replacing Cliff Akurang three minutes later and seconds after this switch N'Guessan was denied a second by Harrison who sprinted off his line to smother at his feet.

Patulea was then inches away from connecting after N'Guessan flicked on a centre whilst at the other end Barnet won their third corner of the game but Burch was there to claim as the ball was played back in.

City came close to adding a second when Frecklington was denied by the feet of Harrison before N'Guessan dragged his follow-up effort wide. Before the goal-kick could be taken Joe Tabiri replaced Ashley Carew for the Bees' final substitution

A couple of minutes later - and with two minutes on the clock, ADRIAN PATULEA capped a dream start to his City career by putting the Imps two up. The new signing showed a great striker's instinct as N'Guessan made a nuisance of himself and when the Frenchman's shot bobbled into the box there was the Romanian to fire home on the turn.

It was all City now with N'Guessan winning a corner and Kovacs heading wide and in the dying seconds of three minutes of added time, Danny Hone came on for Scott Kerr. Hone didn't have time to touch the ball though as when Oakes headed the corner clear, referee Pawson blew for time.

FT: IMPS 2 BARNET

LINCOLN CITY
1 Rob BURCH
2 Paul GREEN
4 Janos KOVACS
6 Frank SINCLAIR
5 Lee BEEVERS
7 Stefan OAKES
8 Lee FRECKLINGTON
11 Scott KERR
12 Dany N'GUESSAN
9 Kevin GALL
15 Ben WRIGHT

subs
23 Adrian PATULEA (for WRIGHT 68)
14 Lenell JOHN-LEWIS (for GALL 68)
16 Daniel HONE (for KERR 90+4)
19 Shane CLARKE
13 Ayden DUFFY

GOALS: N'GUESSAN (75), PATULEA (88)

BARNET
55 Ran KADOCH
2 Joe DEVERA
3 Kenny GILLET
4 Neal BISHOP
5 Ismail YAKUBU
8 Max PORTER
7 Albert ADOMAH
9 Cliff AKURANG
10 Adam BIRCHALL
16 Ashley CAREW
23 Paul MITCHELL

subs
18 Lee HARRISON (for 55 KADOCH)
12 Luke MEDLEY (for AKURANG 78)
15 Joe TABIRI (for CAREW 85)
6 Michael LEARY
21 Aswad THOMAS

BOOKING: CAREW (20)

REFEREE: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire)
ASSISTANTS: Peter Quinn & Jason Whiteley
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Stephen Ross

ATTENDANCE: 3,417 (178 visiting supporters)