City slipped to their heaviest defeat of the season on Tuesday evening with Port Vale emerging 4-0 victors at a bitterly cold Vale Park.
To say the start to the game, the majority of which being played in swirling wind and sporadic snow showers, was shocking is an understatement as within the opening quarter of an hour City were three down - and it could have been worse!
The game was just 22 seconds old when a hopeful ball forward from the Vale midfield saw assistant manager Ian Pearce see his attempted back pass to Rob Burch leave the City 'keeper wrong-footed and he had no chance as the ball trickled over the line.
A couple of minutes later things got even worse as another ball into the area wasn't cleared by the City defence and there loitering to latch on to things on the left hand side of the area was Rob Taylor who duly blasted past Burch to double his side's advantage.
In the fifth minute referee Phil Gibbs spotted a handball and awarded the home side a penalty but Burch prevented a third Vale goal by brilliantly keeping our Marc Richards' penalty low to his left.
The home side extended their lead in the 15th minute when a counter-attack, which came after City had a decent shout for a penalty of their own after the ball struck a home defender on the arm, saw Lewis Haldane play in Craig Davies who rammed home number three.
Alhough City pushing to get back into the match with Chris Herd having an effort hooked off the line, the damage was already done and it was left to centre-back John McCombe, brother of ex-Imp Jamie, to finish things off when he netted from close range after the impressive Burch had kept out a Richards header.
Match report by John Vickers at Vale Park:
With Adam Watts ruled out for the remainder of the season having suffered a broken leg in the local derby against Grimsby Town on Saturday, Moses Swaibu returned to the starting line-up for this Coca-Cola League 2 game against Port Vale at a biting cold Vale Park.
Pre-match snow showers saw a light covering of the white stuff sit on the surface of the pitch as referee Phil Gibbs led the teams out of the tunnel.
City were up against a Vale side who had four changes to the side that started their 2-0 home defeat to Barnet at the weekend and it was the hosts who got the game underway.
The Imps had a disastrous start to the game as, with just 22 seconds on the clock, the Valiants were gifted the lead when a hopeful ball forward from midfield saw assistant manager Ian Pearce see his attempted back pass to Rob Burch leave the City 'keeper wrong-footed and he had no chance as the ball trickled over the line.
A couple of minutes later things got even worse as another ball into the area wasn't cleared by the City defence and there loitering to latch on to things on the left hand side of the area was Rob Taylor who duly blasted past Burch to double his side's advantage.
The Imps looked for an immediate response with but a cross from Joe Anderson saw the ball bounce away from both Drewe Broughton and Steven Lennon in the six yard boxand when the hosts replied, a long fifth minute throw-in into the City box ended with the Vale players claiming a handball.
Referee Gibbs was on the spot and pointed to the spot but Burch prevented a third Vale goal by brilliantly keeping our Marc Richards' penalty low to his left.
At the other end good work from Brian Gilmour saw him win a corner which Pearce could only head straight at an opponent's back and in the 11th minute Lennon was blocked by John McCombe, giving City a chance from a free-kick on the right. Anderson's inswinging delivery, however, was headed clear.
Chris Herd then won a second City corner which ended up seeing Lennon winning a third and when this was floated in by Matt Saunders the ball clearly struck a home defender on the arm but as Mr Gibbs waved away the protests, the Valiants broke at pace down the left through Lewis Haldane. After advancing forward, he duly looked up and there to meet the ball at the far post was Craig Davies who rammed home number three. Before play restarted on the quarter hour mark Gilmour was cautioned for over-protesting.
The home side were rampant with a great reflex save from Burch save seeing him keep out a point-blank Richards effort before an unmarked Taylor headed over after another ball into the area put the Imps on the back foot.
A break in play in the 24th minute came about as Pearce required attention and when things restarted, Haldane dragged a low effort a foot wide of Burch's right-hand upright.
With the snow starting to get heavier, a rare City attack saw Davies scythe Cian Hughton to the deck and when Anderson swung in the free-kick, Pearce's flicked header flew just the wrong side of the post. Collins then flew in late on Hughton for another City free-kick which led to another Vale goal-kick
Lennon then forced Joe Anyon to make a save low to his left whilst at the other end a good interception from Pearce saw him clear the ball of Haldane's feet and out for a corner. This ended with Adam Yates firing against Moses Swaibu for another flag-kick and when thois was floated in, appeals for handball against Pearce were waved away.
As the half wore on loanee Drewe Broughton looked to be holding his hamstring and nine minutes before the break Herd was booked for a foul on ex-Imp Louis Dodds. Before the resultant free-kick could be taken Broughton was replaced by Lenell John-Lewis.
A clever free-kick from Anderson then saw Herd head straight at Anyon and second late a sliding challenge from Tommy Fraser left Herd grounded on the snow-covered pitch. The Australian required as a result and when Fraser eventually got back to his feet after he also remained on the deck, he was cautioned. Herd was helped to the sidelines by physio Michael Wait but was able to return to the fray.
Herd was in the centre of things again as he was dragged to the floor by Richards and when he was picked out by Anderson from the free-kick, the ball was hacked off the line by a backtracking defender.
In the first of four additional minutes, Lennon fired over after a good break down the middle whilst at the other end Richards rose in space but headed Haldane's cross over the bar.
HT: PORT VALE 3 IMPS 0
Neither side made any further changes ahead of the start of the second period and 30 seconds in a clash of heads between John-Lewis and Gareth Owen saw both players receive treatment from their respective physios. Both were able to continue though.
One player who was struggling, however, was Ian Pearce who looked to be in some discomfort as he went to clear a ball to safety. The Imps' number two decided to carry on though in a bid to shake off the knock.
Unlike the opening to the game, the start to the second half was a pretty evenly matched affair, with a high-boot on Kerr by Dodds giving the Imps a chance from a set-piece in an attacking position. Anderson set his sights but Anyon got down well to claim to his left.
Kerr then had a low shot held by Anyon as the Imps pressed forward again whilst a timely challenge from McCombe saw him nip the ball off Lennon's feet as the diminuitive City forward looked to latch on to a clever Gilmour pass.
A great City move then ended with Lennon going to ground in the area but referee Gibbs indicated that the challenge on him was fair and just after the hour mark John-Lewis dragged a shot wide. At the other end Richards sliced a Davies cross behind for a goal-kick.
Pearce became the third City man to be cautioned after he took Haldane out in the 65th minute and three minutes later a great saving challenge from Anderson saw him clear for a corner as Richards prepared to pull the trigger. The flag-kick, however, led to a fourth Vale goal as after Burch kept out a point-blank Richards header,
there to rifle the ball into the net was centre-back John McCombe, brother of ex-Imp Jamie.
A second City change saw Clark Keltie come on for Chris Herd in the 73rd minute and his first touch saw him have a drive deflect out for a corner. Although the hosts dealt with the danger, the Imps kept the ball in the attacking third with John-Lewis just unable to get any direction on his header from a Saunders free-kick.
John-Lewis was involved in City's next attack but his pass to Lennon saw the latter slip over just as he prepared to pull the trigger and as Vale pressed in response, a corner saw McCombe head well over.
With nine minutes on the clock Lewis Haldane was replaced by Sean Rigg for the hosts before Shane Clarke came on for Scott Kerr for the Imps. Three minutes later Sam Morsy was given a run out with Tommy Fraser making way.
Shortly after this latter switch Davies dragged an effort wide of the target after he got the wrong side of the City defence whilst at the other end John-Lewis forced a corner. This ended with Anderson firing well wide whilst Simon Richman for Robert Taylor was the game's final substitution in the 86th minute.
City had Burch to thank again 90 seconds from time when he kept out a Rigg effort after a stray Gilmour pass saw the Vale man beat Swaibu to the ball before bearing down on the Imps' number one.
The Fourth Official indicated that a minimum of three minutes were to be added and in the final minute of these, Shane Clarke had a drive deflect behind for a sixth corner but when this was played in John-Lewis sliced well wide.
FT: PORT VALE 4 IMPS 0
MATCH FACTS
LINCOLN CITY
1 Rob BURCH
25 Cian HUGHTON
5 Moses SWAIBU
13 Ian PEARCE
38 Joe ANDERSON
39 Matthew SAUNDERS
11 Scott KERR
34 Chris HERD
35 Brian GILMOUR
16 Steven LENNON
15 Drewe BROUGHTON
subs
14 Lenell JOHN-LEWIS (for BROUGHTON 36)
23 Clark KELTIE (for HERD 73)
19 Shane CLARKE (for KERR 81)
2 Paul GREEN
6 Danny HONE
7 Stefan OAKES
20 Paul MUSSELWHITE
BOOKINGS: GILMOUR (15), HERD (36), PEARCE (65)
PORT VALE
1 Joe ANYON
3 Robert TAYLOR
5 John McCOMBE
9 Mark RICHARDS
10 Tommy FRASER
11 Adam YATES
14 Louis DODDS
15 Lee COLLINS
16 Gareth OWEN
25 Craig DAVIES
32 Lewis HALDANE
subs
17 Sean RIGG (for HALDANE 81)
29 Sam MORSY (for FRASER 84)
19 Simon RICHMAN (for TAYLOR 86)
6 Luke PROSSER
33 Anthony MALBON
34 Matthew BELL
12 Chris MARTIN
GOALS: PEARCE (1 og), TAYLOR (3), DAVIES (15), McCOMBE (69)
BOOKING: FRASER (41)
MATCH OFFICIALS
REFEREE: Phil Gibbs
ASSISTANTS: Nicholas Greenhalgh & Marc Perry
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Jason Tyas
ATTENDANCE: 3,231 (101 City supporters)
