City slipped to their first ever League defeat against Accrington Stanley on Saturday afternoon with a scrappy game finishing 1-0 to the home side.

In a game of few clear-cut chances, the only goal came five minutes after the break when home defender Darren Kempson got on the end of a free-kick before heading past Rob Burch.

The Imps left it late to carve out their best chances but Alan Martin did well to keep out a Rene Howe header from a Scott Kerr free-kick whilst full-back Joe Heath saw his stoppage-time drive superbly tipped over by the home 'keeper.

Match report by John Vickers at the Crown Ground:

There were three changes in the City starting line-up for this Coca-Cola League 2 game against Accrington Stanley at the Crown Ground.

With striker Paul Connor out injured with a thigh injury, Chris Fagan returned to partner Rene Howe up front and with skipper Scott Kerr and Joe Heath back from injury, Shane Clarke and Stefan Oakes dropped to the bench. There was also a welcome return to the squad for Lenny John-Lewis who was also named amongst the substitutes.

Ex-City striker Gary King, meanwhile, was in the Accrington starting line-up and no doubt looking forward to pitting his wits against his former club, as was City's Jamie Clarke, who had a spell on loan with Stanley last season.

The hosts kicked off and City were forced to defend a couple of free-kicks in the opening 60 seconds; the first leading to the second which was curled in by John Mies and well claimed by Rob Burch.

Stanley pressed again in the fourth minute with Phil Edwards having an effort blocked for the game's first corner, which was easily dealt with by the City defence, whilst at the other end a deep Joe Heath cross was flicked off Jamie Clarke's head by a defender for a throw-in in an attacking position on the right. This led to Chris Fagan having a shot deflecte out on the opposite flank.

A swirling wind was certainly making things difficult for both sides as the first 10 minutes passed without major incident whilst City had a let off shortly after the first 10 minutes passed when a Miles cross was headed wide by Paul Mullin from six yards out.

City's first effort at goal came in the 13th minute when Fagan and Howe linked up before the latter drilled a low shot a couple of feet wide of the target whilst a sliding challenge on Aaron Brown by Miles gave the Imps a chance to create something from a set-piece a couple of minutes later. Brown took the free-kick but the Stanley defence hurriedly cleared their lines when the ball came into the mix.

At the other end Cian Hughton picked up a harsh caution for a foul on Robert Grant as the match, fast approaching its half-hour mark, continued to be littered with free-kicks and breaks in play.

City's first corner in the 28th minute came to nothing whilst four minutes later Howe joined Hughton in the book after the Peterborough loanee was harshly deemed to have pushed Andrew Procter.

An obstruction on Miles by Heath saw the yellow card come out again nine minutes before the break and in a respite from a scrappy half Richard Butcher dragged a low shot wide of Alan Martin's right hand upright from 25 yards.

Three minutes before the break pressure on Kovacs by King saw the latter force the former to concede a corner which was duly headed tamely wied by centre-back Darren Kempson. Two added minutes then passed without incident so it was as you were as the sides went in for the break.

HT: ACCRINGTON STANLEY 0 IMPS 0

Neither side made any changes during the interval and the Imps were quickly out of the traps and in the opening 30 seconds of the second period, Howe had a cross sliced clear by the home defence and Butcher saw his scuffed effort claimed by Martin.

City remained on the offensive with Clarke firing over the bar a couple of minutes later and as Stanley looked to create their first attack, a trip on Grant by Kerr earnt the City skipper a caution but even worse, from the resultant free-kick, the home side took the lead. Defender Darren Kempson was the man on target, meeting the deep delivery before planting a firm header past Burch.

With heavy rain now sweeping around the ground, Fagan latched on to a forward ball but saw his final shot blocked by Kempson for a corner, which was taken by Brown and flicked behind to give the City man a second chance to swing the ball into the danger area. The Stanley defence, however, stood firm and cleared their lines.

The Imps continued to go in search of a leveller as the travelling fans got a soaking on the open terrace with Howe's flicked header from a Hughton free-kick being claimed at full stretch by home 'keeper Martin.

Changes for both sides came in the 61st minute with Andy Hutchinson and Lenny John-Lewis replacing Chris Fagan and Jamie Clarke for City and Sean McConville coming on for Gary King for the home side. A minute later Janos Kovacs became the fifth City player to pick up a yellow card, this coming following a push on Mullin.

John-Lewis did well to win a corner in the 72nd minute which Martin subsequently punched clear and three minutes later a City free-kick was cleared somewhat hurriedly after Kovacs headed the ball on.

Another City free-kick saw Kovacs had another headed hacked clear before Hutchinson and then Howe fired wide of Martin's right-hand upright. The strike pair were then denied by Martin after they both flicked on an inswinging Kerr free-kick whilst at the other end a great savin challenge from Swaibu saw him deny McConville who looked to get on the end of a Grant centre. The Stanley substitute required treatment as he lay prone in the goalmouth before he was helped off for further attention.

McConville was back in the action, forcing Burch to make a good save at his near post whilst at the other end John-Lewis won an 85th minute corner which again failed to come up with the goods.

With the seconds ticking away John-Lewis sent a shot on the turn a foot over the bar before the Fourth Official indicated that a minimum of four minutes were to be added on at the end of the game.

Sixty seconds into added time, Martin palmed away a low Howe drive after the ball was flicked on by Kovacs, pushed up into an attacking role, whilst as the final minute approached Heath let fly but Martin tipped the ball over at full stretch. Burch went up for the flag-kick in a last-ditch bid to salvage something but Martin once again emerged the hero, claiming the ball before eating some seconds up.

The final action of the game saw pick up a booking for leaving his foot in on Edwards, becoming the Imps' fifth name in referee Oliver Langford's notebook.

FT: ACCRINGTON STANLEY 1 IMPS 0

MATCH FACTS

LINCOLN CITY
1 Rob BURCH
25 Cian HUGHTON
4 Janos KOVACS
5 Moses SWAIBU
16 Joe HEATH
8 Richard BUTCHER
11 Scott KERR
3 Aaron BROWN
15 Jamie CLARKE
10 Chris FAGAN
18 Rene HOWE

subs
26 Andy HUTCHINSON (for FAGAN 61)
14 Lenell JOHN-LEWIS (for J CLARKE 61)
6 Danny HONE
7 Stefan OAKES
19 Shane CLARKE
30 Luca COLEMAN-CARR
20 Paul MUSSELWHITE

BOOKINGS: HUGHTON (17), HOWE (32), HEATH (36), KERR (49), KOVACS (62), HUTCHINSON (90+5)

ACCRINGTON STANLEY
1 Alan MARTIN
15 Dean WINNARD
5 Darren KEMPSON
6 Andrew PROCTER
7 John MILES
10 Paul MULLIN
12 Phil EDWARDS
14 Jimmy RYAN
8 Luke JOYCE
24 Gary KING
11 Robert GRANT

subs
17 Sean McCONVILLE (for G KING 61)
3 Leam RICHARDSON
16 Chris TURNER
19 Michael SYMES
20 Peter MURPHY
23 Chris KING
25 Ian DUNBAVIN

GOAL: KEMPSON (50)

MATCH OFFICIALS

REFEREE: Oliver Langford
ASSISTANTS: Andrew Hutchinson & Robert Jones
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Scott Oldham

ATTENDANCE: 1,498 (202 City supporters)