Having taken the lead through new signing Davide Somma, City were pegged back late on as visiting Crewe Alexandra snatched a point with four minutes on the clock.
After City's Matt Saunders and Crewe's Joel Grant both rattled the woodwork in the latter stages of the opening period, the Imps took the game by the scruff of the neck 60 second after the restart with debutant Davide blasting in a goal of high quality.
After striker Somma was set free down the middle, he held off a couple of defenders, and opted to strike the ball early - it was a decision that proved correct as the South African's thunderbolt fizzed past the fingers of Steve Phillips with the ball flying into the corner of the net.
City enjoyed a sustained spell of pressure following the goal but couldn't force a second and with just four minutes remaining, Crewe snatched a point when Shaun Miller hooked a Byron Moore cross past Rob Burch.
Match report by John Vickers at Sincil Bank Stadium:
There was one change to the City starting line-up for this Coca-Cola League 2 game against Crewe Alexandra at Sincil Bank Stadium with new loan signing Davide Somma coming in for Brian Gilmour. Somma lined up alongside Drewe Broughton as manager Chris Sutton switched formation around to 4-4-2.
City kicked off attacking the Stacey West Stand and they were quickly out of the traps with Broughton being tripped by Danny O'Donnell but Matt Saunders' delivery was cleared at the near post. Saunders then drilled wide before Crewe attacked with the first corner of the game being cleared by Ian Pearce.
From the visitors next attack Shaun Miller blazed an effort over the roof of the GoCar Stand whilst a deflected James Bailey shot led to a second unproductive Crewe corner in the sixth minute.
Four minutes later Miller skipped past Pearce before squaring for Byron Moore who was denied by a fine saving challenge from Moses Swaibu and when the resultant corner came in O'Donnell fired straight at Pearce. Another corner ended with John Brayford heading well wide.
Not for the first time in recent weeks, City had Rob Burch to thank on the quarter hour mark when he came off his line to block superbly with his legs after Moore found himself one-on-one with the Imps' number one. Crewe kept up the pressure a minute later, winning their fifth corner of the game but Burch was there again to pluck the ball from the air after it was drilled in from the quadrant.
City's response saw Chris Herd create some space for himself before drilling a 25-yard effort just wide of the right-hand upright whilst at the other end Miller tested Burch with an effort from even further out after he had nutmegged Saunders midway inside the Imps' half.
Midway through the half Saunders picked out Pearce from a free-kick but Broughton could only direct his header over the bar after receiving the ball from the Imps' assistant boss. Broughton then curled a shot wide after a quick break from Steven Lennon saw him create the half-chance for his team mate.
A pretty quiet spell ensued, broken when Crewe added two more corners to their tally in the 35th minute whilst five minutes later Saunders cut inside his marker and unleashed a bullet shot which crashed against the left hand upright before bouncing kindly for a visiting defender to clear.
Just as the Fourth Official indicated that a minimum of one minute was to be added on, the lively Joel Grant fizzed a shot across Burch only to see the woodwork intervene at the other end; Brayford's follow-up effort crashed straight against the Executive Boxes rather than the back of the net.
HT: IMPS 0 CREWE 0
Neither side made any changes during the break and before many of the fans had returned to their seats, City grabbed the lead with a goal of top quality from new loanee Davide Somma.
The second half was barely a minute old when debutant Somma was set free down the middle and after holding off a couple of defenders, the Leeds United man opted to strike the ball early - it was a decision that proved correct as the South African striker's thunderbolt fizzed past the fingers of Steve Phillips with the ball flying into the corner of the net.
Crewe looked for a quick response but Burch was well positioned to block a Bailey drie before the loose ball was scrambled out for a corner by Swaibu whilst at the other end City's first corner, after a Lennon shot took a deflection, forced Phillips to palm away.
The next attempt at goal came Crewe's way when Bailey drove over after referee Eddie Ilderton allowed play to carry on despite Ashley Westwood appearing to go in hard on Scott Kerr from behind. Play immediately switched to the other end with Somma releasing Herd but the Australian was denied by Phillips as he tried to curl the ball around the advancing 'keeper.
Herd was again denied by Phillips on the hour mark before the Crewe stopper kept out a flicked Broughton effort and City won their second corner which ended with Broughton seeing his downward header hacked off line.
It was all City now but you felt that a second goal was needed with the visitors always threatening on the break; a good saving challenge from Cian Hughton denying Matt Tootle on one such occasion before Joe Anderson headed over his own bar.
A change for Crewe in the 67th minute saw Clayton Donaldson replace Simon Walton and the sustitute's first touch saw him flick a Miller cross goalwards only for Burch to deny him with his legs at point-blank range.
A dangerous Brayford cross was then cleared off Donaldson's head by Hughton before Burch flung himself full length to his left to tip behind a low drive from Brayford. After City cleared the corner, their attack ended with Herd firing at Phillips.
With a quarter of an hour remaining Crewe forced their 12th corner of the game and after this was only half-cleared a block from Pearce denied Grant and just over six minutes later Clark Keltie for Steven Lennon was City's first change.
Shortly afterwards Cian Hughton saw yellow after dragging Donaldson to the floor with Keltie's first touch seeing him clear the resultant corner but Crewe remained on the offensive and when Moore helped a ball back into the box from the right, there was Shaun Miller to hook past Burch.
Crewe were clearly lifted by this equaliser and Pearce produced a superb challenge to deny Donaldson and shortly before the Fourth Official indicated that a minimum of three minutes were to be added Bailey fired over.
Midway through the added time, the visitors forced two more corners whilst Miller curled a 20-yard effort a foot wide of the target. This proved to be the last action with referee Ilderton blowing for time a minute later.
FT: IMPS 1 CREWE 1
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
16 Steven LENNON
15 Drewe BROUGHTON
18 Davide SOMMA
subs
23 Clark KELTIE (for LENNON 82)
2 Paul GREEN
6 Danny HONE
14 Lenell JOHN-LEWIS
19 Shane CLARKE
35 Brian GILMOUR
20 Paul MUSSELWHITE
GOAL: SOMMA (46)
BOOKING: HUGHTON (82)
CREWE ALEXANDRA
31 Steve PHILLIPS
2 John BRAYFORD
5 Danny O'DONNELL
19 Ashley WESTWOOD
23 Matt TOOTLE
27 Harry WORLEY
11 Joel GRANT
16 James BAILEY
28 Simon WALTON
14 Byron MOORE
15 Shaun MILLER
subs
8 Clayton DONALDSON (for WALTON 67)
18 Luke MURPHY
20 Danny SHELLEY
21 Chris CLEMENTS
30 Carl MARTIN
34 Danny GARDNER
13 Adam LEGZDINS
GOAL: MILLER (84)
MATCH OFFICIALS
REFEREE: Eddie Ilderton
ASSISTANTS: Matthew Dicicco & Stephen Smith
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Stephen Ross
ATTENDANCE: 3,110 (209 visiting supporters)
