A goal from veteran striker Julian Alsop was enough to bring City's six-match unbeaten run to an end at Cheltenham's Abbey Business Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The only goal of the game came five minutes into the second half with Alsop firing home after Paul Green had blocked a Josh Low effort on the line. Prior to that, City had the better of things, although Town 'keeper Scott Brown was rarely troubled, and had it not been for a fine block by Joe Anderson to deny Justin Richards and another Alsop effort which hit the post things could have been far worse.
A disappointing afternoon was made worse, meanwhile, as a second half caution for Scott Kerr will see the City skipper be forced to serve a two-match suspension.
Match report by John Vickers at the Abbey Business Stadium:
Manager Chris Sutton named an unchanged starting line-up for this Coca-Cola League 2 encounter against Cheltenham Town at the Abbey Business, although changes on the bench saw Lenny John-Lewis and Nathan Baker return from injury whilst teenager Andy Hutchinson was also back in the fold after a prolific couple of weeks of youth team action.
Heavy rain greeted the two teams as they were led out of the tunnel by referee Simon Hooper and it was the hosts who got things underway.
City were the first to press with Matt Saunders fizzing a second minute effort just wide of the target whilst a surging run forward from Chris Herd saw him open up the Town defence only to see his ball across to Davide Somma skid off the surface, giving ex-Imp Lee Ridley the chance to nip in and clear to safety.
Cheltenham's response saw Julian Alsop test Rob Burch with a snap-shot from the edge of the box after Paul Green slipped in a bid to clear Josh Low's low cross from the right whilst at the other end Herd was played in by Somma but his goalbound effort was well claimed by Scott Brown.
The Imps pressed again in the ninth minute with Steven Lennon firing into the side netting after a lovely Somma pass set the Scot free down the right. Three minutes later Herd won the game's first corner but this was brought to an abrupt halt for a push on the 'keeper.
A quiet, and somewhat scrappy, period ensued in the run up to the second quarter of the game with neither goalkeeper really threatened; a Saunders free-kick in the 26th minute being held by Brown being the only real chance of note.
A couple of minutes later a stray arm on former Cheltenham striker Paul Connor by Michael Pook saw referee Hooper have words with the latter, before Moses Swaibu and Julian Alsop squared up to each other, and when play resumed, Justin Richards had a header saved by Burch low to his right.
A long Ridley throw-in led to the home side's first corner of the afternoon in the 35th minute but Burch emerged with the ball in his gloves after Low nodded the cross back to the six-yard box.
At the other end a neat move involving Lennon, Connor and Somma ended with the latter firing past Brown but an offside flag denied the South African a neatly taken goal whilst the Leeds loanee came close again three minutes before the break when dragged a low left-footed effort a foot wide.
Town's response saw Alsop barge Burch off the ball, fairly in the eyes of referee Hooper, before squaring for Richards who saw his net-bound drive cleared superbly off the line by Joe Anderson and as the home side pressed again, Matt Thornhill volleyed wide.
Thirty seconds into one added minute a third City corner was flicked off Connor's head by Ridley and when the subsequent follow-up flag-kick was cleared, the half came to close.
HT: CHELTENHAM 0 IMPS 0
Neither side made any changes during the half-time interval so it was as you were as the second period got underway with the Imps now attacking the goal behind which sat the travelling Imps' fans.
It was the home supporters, however, who were on their feet first following the restart as, with less than five minutes of the second half played, the Robins took the lead.
The goal came when Low gained possession on the right and after he drilled a low effort past Burch, Green blocked on the line. The ball ran kindly for the home side, however, and when it bounced to Alsop, the experienced striker had the easy task of firing home from six yards.
A confident Cheltenham then won a corner which was cleared by Swaibu under pressure from scorer Alsop whilst City's response saw Connor head a Kerr cross a couple of feet wide.
Cheltenham's Michael Pook was forced off the field shortly before the hour mark after he took a bang to the nose and once he returned, Herd drilled a low effort across the face of Brown's goal and out for a goal-kick.
In the 65th minute Lenell John-Lewis replaced Paul Connor up front for City and his first touch saw him head a Lennon cross wide of the target. A sweeping Imps' move then ended with Herd being denied by a saving challenge from Shane Duff for what turned out to be an unproductive corner. Town responded by forcing a corner of their own and before this was taken Barry Hayles replaced Justin Richards.
In the 76th minute, the home side came close to doubling their advantage when a Hayles flick-on gave Alsop a sight of goal. Fortunately for the Imps, however, Alsop's effort beat Burch but the ball came back off the post before Saunders hacked away
A second City change came in the 78th minute with Nathan Baker replacing a hobbling Steven Lennon; the change seeing Paul Green move to right-back with Cian Hughton pushing forward. The hosts also made a switch with Andy Gallinagh coming on for Medy Elito.
Baker's first touch saw him head a cross out for a corner, which was easily cleared, and was in the action again in the 85th minute when he slid in to deny Hayles. Tempers flared shortly afterwards when Kerr went in late on Pook and once things calmed down referee Hooper dished out a yellow card to the City skipper; the caution being his 10th of the season.
With Baker pushed into attack, Hughton fired wide as the game entered approached five added minutes. The majority of the early stages of stoppage time was spent in the middle third of the field, with home 'keeper Brown remaining untroubled, and in the end the hosts saw things out, with Alsop's effort enough to secure the points.
FT: CHELTENHAM 1 IMPS 0
MATCH FACTS
LINCOLN CITY
1 Rob BURCH
25 Cian HUGHTON
2 Paul GREEN
5 Moses SWAIBU
38 Joe ANDERSON
11 Scott KERR
39 Matthew SAUNDERS
34 Chris HERD
16 Steven LENNON
9 Paul CONNOR
18 Davide SOMMA
subs
14 Lenell JOHN-LEWIS (for CONNOR 65)
33 Nathan BAKER (for LENNON 78)
8 Richard BUTCHER
19 Shane CLARKE
23 Clark KELTIE
26 Andy HUTCHINSON
20 Paul MUSSELWHITE
BOOKING: KERR (87)
CHELTENHAM TOWN
1 Scott BROWN
2 David BIRD
3 Lee RIDLEY
4 Shane DUFF
5 Michael TOWNSEND
7 Michael POOK
9 Justin RICHARDS
17 Josh LOW
19 Medy ELITO
28 Matt THORNHILL
39 Julian ALSOP
subs
38 Barry HAYLES (for RICHARDS 71)
8 Andy GALLINAGH (for ELITO 79)
6 Scott BROWN
10 David HUTTON
11 Louis ALMOND
16 Ashley EASTHAM
21 Will PUDDY
GOAL: ALSOP (50)
MATCH OFFICIALS
REFEREE: Simon Hooper
ASSISTANTS: Kevin Johnson & Paul Martin
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Wayne Barratt
ATTENDANCE: 3,708 (243 City supporters)
