A stoppage time goal from Danny Hone saw City salvage a deserved point at a bitterly cold Darlington on Tuesday evening.
The Imps had trailed to a 38th minute Gary Dempsey effort which saw the midfielder's right-footed drive squirm through Rob Burch's grasp before the ball trickled over the goal line but City always looked likely to snatch a leveller, although they certainly left it late do to just that.
The game was in the seventh minute of added time when Burch pumped a free-kick into the mix and when the ball was half-cleared there to loop it over a packed area and into the back of the net was Hone for a dramatic first goal of the season.
Match report by John Vickers at the Northern Echo Arena:
There were two changes to the City starting line-up for this Coca-Cola League 2 match against bottom-placed Darlington at the Northern Echo Arena with Paul Green (hamstring) and Shane Clarke (substitute) making way for Adam Watts and Paul Connor. The switch brought about a tactical change to 4-4-2 with Danny Hone slotting in at right-back in Green's absence whilst Connor partnered Delroy Facey up front.
City kicked off and started brightly with both Chris Herd and Facey firing wide of the mark in the opening five minutes before Connor had a shot deflected behind for the first corner but Brian Gilmour's flag kick was cleared by the Quakers' defence.
On a heavy pitch, it was all City as the 10 minute mark came and went but Shane Redmond remained relatively untroubled between the Darlington sticks, although he did have to dash off his line to claim a Scott Kerr ball under pressure from Connor before the latter tested him with a rifled effort from the edge of the box.
Kerr was in the action again in the 19th minute when a mistimed challenge on Gareth Waite earned him the first yellow card of the game. Shortly afterwards Rob Burch got his angles right to claim a Tadhg Purcell snap shot after a Watts clearance was pumped back into the box from the right flank.
At the other end Redmond held a low Cian Hughton effort whilst in the 25th minute a Connor cross fizzed across the centre but just behind Facey. Three minutes later a trip on Herd by Waite saw the Australian hit the deck in some discomfort. Physio Michael Wait was quickly on the scene and helped Herd, who was clutching his shoulder, to the sidelines but he was fortunately able to continue.
The deadlock was broken in the 38th minute with home midfielder Gary Dempsey the man on target. Dempsey gained possession midway inside the City half and after advancing forward and let fly with a right-footed drive. Burch was at full stretch to reach the ball but it agonisingly squirmed out of his grasp and with the ball spinning goalwards he was unable to retrieve it before it trickled over the goal line.
The goal certainly lifted the home side who immediately went in search of a second with Mor Diop heading wide and the City defence hurriedly clearing their lines on a number of occasions, including from a corner in the 45th minute.
The Fourth Official indicated that a minimum of just one minute was to be added and 30 second in Purcell was cautioned for a late challenge on Kerr. This was the last action of the opening period.
HT: DARLINGTON 1 IMPS 0
A snow shower greeted the two teams as they made their way back out on to the pitch for the start of the second half and within 30 seconds of the restart Diop saw his appeals for a penalty as he went down under Hone's challenge waved away by referee Andy Haines.
In the fourth minute of the second period Herd picked up a caution for a late challenge on Darlington goalscorer Dempsey whilst four minutes later Lenell John-Lewis came on for Delroy Facey.
John-Lewis was immediately in the action as his flick from a Gilmour free-kick flew inches the wrong side of the left hand upright. An offside flag then denied Connor as he looked to latch on to a Redmond push out following a Herd strike at target.
Herd was then upended 25 yards out as the Imps pressed again but the Australian's effort from the dead ball situation flew a foot over the bar and gave the hosts the chance to restart the game with a goal-kick.
Purcell required treatment in the 62nd minute after he stooped low to win a header but met with the rising foot of Herd and before he was allowed to return to the fray, Mor Diop was replaced by Josh Gray, seeing Purcell move up front.
City remained on the offensive with Gilmour being denied by a superb last-gasp tackle from Ian Miller; the resultant decision by referee Haines to award a goal-kick being met by shouts of amazement from the City bench.
The Imps' management were on their feet again as the half ticked past its midway point when Herd was left grounded by Waite. With temperatures threatening to boil over as both benches were venting their frustrations towards the officials, Hone was spoken to by referee Haines before Steven Lennon replaced Cian Hughton.
A couple of minutes later and with a quarter of an hour remaining, Hone was booked following an aerial clash with Purcell and from the resultant free-kick, another set-piece came the Quakers' way but Kerr was there to clear his lines.
A clash of heads between John-Lewis and Miller saw the latter come off worse and required treatment as a result and when play restarted Burch was forced to smother at Gray's feet after the substitute delayed his effort after being played in by Purcell.
In the 81st minute Waite was the next player to enter the referee's notebook after he flew in on Herd and four minutes later a Connor snap-shot was somehow kept out by the left hand of Redmond before Lennon saw his chipped centre cleared off the line by Simon Madden as Gilmour pressurised.
The offside flag was also playing a major part in the home side's ability to keep the Imps at bay; the assistant referee raising his arm on numerous occasions against City's forward line as they looked to latch on to balls over the top.
In the 88th minute City won their second corner of the game but Gilmour's delivery was brought to a halt after the referee spotted a push by Hone and before thre free-kick could be taken Nathan Mulligan replaced Jeff Smith for the home side.
City had a minimum of five added minutes in which to salvage something from the game and a corner 30 seconds in gave them a chance to do just that but Herd could only direct his header over the bar.
Home stopper Redmond twice escaped a booking after delaying the taking of both a goal-kick and a free-kick and more seconds were eaten up by the Quakers when Paddy Deane came on for Curtis Main 20 seconds from the end of the five additional minutes.
With the ball at the wrong end of the field as far as the Imps were concerned those seconds were elapsing far too quickly. The last chance came with the second half clock showing 51 minutes played and when Burch pumped a free-kick into the mix the ball was half-cleared and there to loop it over a packed area and into the back of the net was Danny Hone.
It was certainly a last gasp strike and a crucial one as within seconds of the restart referee Haines blew for time.
FT: DARLINGTON 1 IMPS 1
MATCH FACTS
LINCOLN CITY
1 Rob BURCH
6 Danny HONE
5 Moses SWAIBU
22 Adam WATTS
38 Joe ANDERSON
11 Scott KERR
34 Chris HERD
25 Cian HUGHTON
35 Brian GILMOUR
9 Paul CONNOR
36 Delroy FACEY
subs
14 Lenell JOHN-LEWIS (for FACEY 53)
16 Steven LENNON (for HUGHTON 72)
7 Stefan OAKES
19 Shane CLARKE
23 Clark KELTIE
31 Michael GORDON
20 Paul MUSSELWHITE
GOAL: HONE (90+7)
BOOKINGS: KERR (19), HERD (49), HONE (75)
DARLINGTON
23 Shane REDMOND
22 Simon MADDEN
4 Alan WHITE
6 Ian MILLER
20 Stuart GIDDINGS
7 Jeff SMITH
11 Gary DEMPSEY
28 Gareth WAITE
19 Tadgh PURCELL
15 Curtis MAIN
30 Mor DIOP
subs
12 Josh GRAY (for DIOP 62)
24 Nathan MULLIGAN (for J SMITH 89)
29 Patrick DEANE (for MAIN 90+5)
14 Gary SMITH
16 Danny GROVES
33 Richie BYRNE
13 Nick LIVERSEDGE
GOAL: DEMPSEY (38)
BOOKINGS: PURCELL (45+1), WAITE (81)
MATCH OFFICIALS
REFEREE: Andy Haines
ASSISTANTS: Barry Holderness & Ross Joyce
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Tony Peart
ATTENDANCE: 1,697 (148 City supporters)
