City slipped to an undeserved 2-0 defeat to 10-man Darlington on Saturday with the Quakers scoring at either end of the second half to secure the points.

Darlington, who had skipper Steve Foster sent off in the 14th minute after he lashed out at Adrian Patulea, were lucky to end the opening period with 10 men on the pitch after Richie Foran planted an foot on the back of Danny Hone's head.

Referee Scott Mathieson and his assistants failed to spot this incident though and in the end it proved vital as the former Carlisle United striker played in Liam Hatch for the opener 90 seconds after the restart before he secured the points in the final minute.

In between the two goals City created a number of chances but couldn't find that killer touch or killer ball into the box. Substitute Ben Wright had perhaps the best opportunity but he blazed over from the angle as he went for power rather than placement.

Match report by John Vickers at the Balfour Webnet Darlington Arena:

Kevin Gall for the injured Lenell John-Lewis was the only change for this Coca-Cola League 2 encounter against table-topping Darlington at the always impressive Balfour Webnet Darlington Arena.

What didn't look so impressive, however, was the playing surface, which was somewhat patchy down the flank in front of the side which housed the majority of the home support and the two dug-outs.

The experienced Scott Mathieson was the man in charge and after he had led the two teams out he got things underway. The Imps kicked off with former Darlington loanee Gall starting on the left with Dany N'Guessan on the right.

It was a scrappy opening with neither side able to get their foot on the ball in the opening five minutes but this changed in the ninth minute when a City break down the right saw the overlapping Paul Green exchange passes with Lee Frecklington, who was upended in the proces, before seeing his shot take a deflection before looping high into the air. Had it not been for ex-Imp Simon Brown, who hurried back before tipping over, the City number two would have opened the scoring.

The resultant corner came to nothing as the hosts scrambled clear and when the Quakers broke for the first time Liam Hatch escaped the offside trap but Janos Kovacs was there to mop up and clear his lines.

Things livened up in the 14th minute when Adrian Patulea and home skipper Steve Foster tangled on the half-way line. A free-kick to the hosts was the outcome but the Darlington centre-back, who had already been spoken to by referee Mathieson earlier on in the game, then lashed out at Patulea with his right boot.

After consultation with his assistant, the Cheshire-based official quickly brandished a straight red card as Patulea was dragged away from the situation by his team mates. The reduction to 10 men saw Neil Austin move inside to a central defensive role whilst Rob Purdie dropped back to right-back.

Things were threatening to boil over again in the 18th minute when Hatch flew in on Green but referee Mathieson just told the players to calm things down and when the free-kick was taken, N'Guessan saw his goalbound drive blocked on the edge of the box.

A tactical change for the home side in the 20th minute saw Tim Ryan come in at centre-back in place of winger Franz Burgmeier but things hotted up again midway through the half when Richie Foran pulled Hone back as the pair went for a ball over the top. As Hone went to ground former Carlisle striker Foran clearly stamped on the back of the City man's head but the officials inexplicably missed the incident and the Darlington man escaped with nothing more than a word in his ear.

Another blatant push on Hone, this time by Hatch, also went unpunished seconds before the hosts won a corner and things were certainly threaten to get out of hand with a number of juicy challenges coming in, the majority of which being from the men in black and white. How Hatch missed Kerr when he flew in before sliding towards the City skipper is anyone's guess - it's fortunate for Kerr that he did!

A second Darlington corner came along in the 37th minute when Hatch escaped the offside flag again before the back-tracking Shane Clarke cleared behind. Purdie took the kick but centre-back Alan White promptly headed well over.

Hatch was involved in all sorts of off-the-ball stuff as the half wore on, with his attempt to get Kovacs in trouble as he hit the deck somewhat easily after the pair went up for a header, falling on deaf ears.

Kovacs was then left writhing in agony as he hit the deck hard after winning another header but after treatment from Michael Wait he was able to return.

In the final minute of the half Patulea escaped his marker courtesy of a neat flick 20 yards out but his subsequent shot on the turn fizzed a couple of feet the wrong side of the upright.

A minimum of three added minutes was indicated by the Fourth Official and in the first of these Kovacs was unlucky to be penalised for a foul on Ryan Valentine as he went up to meet a free-kick from the left.

The rest of added time passed without incident so a half which lacked anything resembling goalmouth incidents certainly didn't elsewhere on the pitch with the home side lucky to go in for the break with 10 men on the pitch.

HT: DARLINGTON 0 IMPS 0

With neither side making any changes during the break it was as you were as the Quakers got the second half underway and were quick to attack with a ball over the top.

Foran, lucky to be on the pitch at all following his first half assault on Hone, latched on to the big pump down the middle and after the flag stayed down, he took a couple of touches before squaring for LIAM HATCH to finish neatly past Rob Burch. The assistant's decision to keep his flag down looked somewhat harsh.

City looked for a quick response with Patulea heading a Green cross just wide, although had it done in then he would have been flagged offside! In a bid to change things around, Imps' boss Peter Jackson brought on Ben Wright for Shane Clarke in the 53rd minute.

Wright's first taste of the action was to concede a free-kick midway inside the City half whilst his second was to win a free-kick after being sandwiched by a couple of Darlington players. Neither set-piece threatened a second goal.

On the hour mark a Patulea effort flew wide as the Imps went in search of an equaliser whilst a Kovacs ball into the area was claimed by Brown as the Romanian closed in.

At the other end, the Imps had Rob Burch to thank as he produced a world-class save to deny Jason Kennedy as the midfielder slid in to meet a Hatch centre. The big number one flung himself full length to his right before tipping the ball behind for a corner to earn himself a pat on the back from his colleagues.

City replied with Patulea flicking a ball on into the path of Wright who went for power rather than placement as his effort flew into the 477-strong band of travelling Imps' supporters.

Aaron Brown replaced Kevin Gall on the left in the 66th minute and his first touch saw him force Brown into a save before Wright headed wide. Patulea then saw his header from N'Guessan's cross saved by Brown low to his left.

Brown was seeing plenty of the ball and after he drew Ricky Ravenhill into a foul, it gave the Imps a chance from a set-piece. Kerr's inswinging delivery, though, was claimed under his crossbar by Simon Brown.

City were certainly enjoying the better of the possession, forcing a corner as the game entered its final quarter. Brown took it but his low delivery was headed out for a throw-in. When the ball was played in again, Frecklington got the ball under control before seeing his deflected effort spin the wrong side of the upright.

Kerr's ball in after the corner weas played back to him was tipped over by Brown but again the next corner was cleared at the near post. Darlington scorer Hatch was then replaced by Gregg Blundell with 15 minutes on the clock and he was quickly in the action, forcing Burch to tip behind.

The ball just wouldn't run for the Imps with a Brown cross bobbling around the box before play was halted as a home defender went to ground. In a last gasp bid to salvage something from the game, David Graham was thrown on for Patulea with 10 minutes on the clock.

City continued to press but that killer touch still evaded them. N'Guessan and Graham both had shots blocked by last ditch defending before Wright tested Brown with a left-footed drive from the angle

Janos Kovacs was pushed up as Jacko continued to look for a deserved leveller but as a result, the gaps were starting to appear at the back and when Purdie broke down the left, it took a superb saving challenge from Beevers to deny Foran as the Quakers went forward three-on-one.

The next long ball forward saw FORAN - who shouldn't have been watching the second half from the stands - find himself in acres of space down the middle and this time he made no mistake, bringing the ball under control before slotting past Burch's fingertips.

The goal came just before the Fourth Official indicated that an additional three minutes were to be added and home boss Dave Penney took the chance to eat up some of these extra seconds by bringing Robin Hulbert on for Ricky Ravenhill.

Despite being two down City still went forward with Frecklington and N'Guessan both firing wide and when Brown claimed Graham's downward header from a Hone cross, referee Mathieson blew for time.

FT: DARLINGTON 2 IMPS 0

MATCH FACTS

LINCOLN CITY
1 Rob BURCH
2 Paul GREEN
4 Janos KOVACS
16 Danny HONE
5 Lee BEEVERS
8 Lee FRECKLINGTON
11 Scott KERR
19 Shane CLARKE
12 Dany N'GUESSAN
9 Kevin GALL
23 Adrian PATULEA

subs
15 Ben WRIGHT (for CLARKE 53)
3 Aaron BROWN (for GALL 66)
17 David GRAHAM (for PATULEA 80)
6 Frank SINCLAIR
13 Ayden DUFFY

DARLINGTON
22 Simon BROWN
2 Neil AUSTIN
4 Alan WHITE
5 Steve FOSTER
7 Jason KENNEDY
11 Rob PURDIE
12 Ryan VALENTINE
14 Ricky RAVENHILL
18 Franz BURGMEIER
29 Liam HATCH
31 Richie FORAN

subs
30 Tim RYAN (for BURGMEIER 20)
8 Gregg BLUNDELL (for HATCH 75)
23 Robin HULBERT (for RAVENHILL 90+2)
25 Curtis MAIN
1 Andy OAKES

GOALS: HATCH (47), FORAN (90)

SENDING OFF: FOSTER (14)

REFEREE: Scott Mathieson (Cheshire)
ASSISTANTS: Michael Denton & Andy Madley
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Martin Coy

ATTENDANCE: 3,534 (477 City supporters)