The Imps bounced back from Saturday's defeat at Accrington Stanley in style on Tuesday evening, recorded a fine 2-0 success over Bradford City at the Coral Windows Stadium.
City had goalkeeper Rob Burch to thank for paving the way to victory as he superbly saved a 36th minute Michael Flynn penalty after Shane Clarke was harshly penalised for handball and having withstood some late first half pressure from the home side, it was the turn of the strikers to clinch the three points after the break.
Loanee Rene Howe fired the Imps in front from the spot in the 62nd minute after Jamie Clarke was upended by Simon Ramsden and within the space of 60 seconds Chris Fagan also notched his first goal in City colours with his deflected effort wrong-footing Simon Eastwood before nestling in the foot of the net.
The double strike seemed to knock the stuffing out of the hosts who rarely troubled Burch afterwards and had Eastwood not pulled off two fine saves from goalscorers Fagan and Howe, the score could well have been more emphatic.
Match report by John Vickers at the Coral Windows Stadium:
Stefan Oakes and Shane Clarke returned to the starting line up in place of the injured Joe Heath and Richard Butcher for this Coca-Cola League 2 game against Bradford City at the Coral Windows Stadium. With Oakes and Clarke having been promoted from the bench, teenagers Sam Clucas and Lee Bennett, the latter a second year scholar, are named amongst the substitutes.
It was a pleasant Yorkshire evening as the two teams made their way out on to the pitch and it was the hosts who got things underway.
City were quickly out of the traps when a forward ball from Cian Hughton forced Steve Williams to clear for a corner under pressure from Rene Howe. Aaron Brown saw his flag-kick punched away by Simon Eastwood before it was swept back to him by Stefan Oakes and when Brown played the ball in for a second time Jamie Clarke fired over.
The Imps continued to enjoy the better of the opening exchanges with Hughton fizzing a long-range effort a couple of feet wide in the eighth minute whilst a great through ball from Scott Kerr to Jamie Clarke a minute later saw the ball get tangled under the latter's feet as he started to bear down on goal from the right hand side of the penalty area, giving the home defence the chance to clear to safety.
Jamie Clarke was seeing a lot of the ball in the early stages, fizzing a cross across the face of goal after outsprinting left-back Luke O'Brien, whilst at the other end an attempted chest back to Rob Burch by Janos Kovacs let James Hanson in for a half-chance but Hughton saved the day and blocked the shot which rebounded off Hanson and out for a goal-kick.
In the 19th minute Bradford centre-back Zesh Rehman required treatment to his head following a clash with Howe; both players being forced to change their shirts due to a double splattering of Rehman's blood whilst a couple of minutes later a mistimed challenge from Kerr on Michael Flynn saw the City skipper pick up his second caution in as many games.
Chris Fagan joined Kerr in referee David Webb's notebook three minutes later following a touchline tangle with Simon Ramsden as he shepherded the ball out for a goal-kick and when Shane Clarke tripped Peter Thorne, it gave the hosts their first chance to create something from an attacking set-piece. Fortunately for City, O'Brien fired the free-kick straight at the Imps' wall.
On the half-hour mark a late challenge on Hughton by Hanson should have seen the Bradford man pick up a caution but Mr Webb was happy just to give him a ticking off, much to the annoyance of manager Peter Jackson and the travelling Imps' contingent, who were in good voice in the corner of the ground.
Former Macclesfield Town striker Gareth Evans had Bradford's first attempt at goal but Burch easily claimed his low 20-yard effort whilst a minute later Flynn fired an effort from a similar position over the bar.
A fine block from Hughton on Hanson as a cross came in from the Bradford right led to the Bantams' first corner and when the ball was played in, Thorne flicked it up against Shane Clarke's hand. Up went the appeals and out came the whistle for a 36th minute penalty which was harsh to say the least.
Midfielder Michael Flynn took the responsibility but justice was done when Burch flung himself to his right to superbly push away the powerful spot-kick before the ball was cleared to safety.
Five minutes before the break there was an almighty goalmouth scramble after Burch had blocked a Chris Brandon shot and with the Imps' defence struggling to get the ball out of the area, the eventual outcome was a corner following three or four blocked efforts on the six yard line.
City responded with Howe winning a corner at the other end but this was easily cleared after the ball was knocked down by Shane Clarke and it wasn't long before the Imps were on the defensive again as the hosts went in search of a goal in the closing stages of the opening period. Evans was penalised for a foul on Kovacs though and Swaibu showed good strength to shake off Thorne a few seconds later.
The Fourth Official indicated that a minimum of three minutes were to be added and in the last of these a great challenge from Brown saw him deny Evans a run on goal after a sliced clearance from Swaibu fell at the Bradford striker's feet.
HT: BRADFORD 0 IMPS 0
There was a change for the Imps at the start of the second half with Andy Hutchinson replacing Scott Kerr; the substitution sseeing the teenager slot in to a wide right role, with Jamie Clarke switching flanks. Stefan Oakes moved inside to partner Shane Clarke.
The first action of the second half saw Kovacs block a Brandon effort and as Hutchinson brought the ball forward, he was dragged to the deck by Flynn and when the free-kick was played to Oakes he sent a piledriver a foot over.
City attacked again eight minutes after the restart and when Brown played a clever header forwards, Fagan nipped in and nodded goalwards but two backtracking defenders somehow between them scrambled the ball off the line and out for a corner.
Fagan was at the centre of things again a couple of minutes later when some weak defending let in the Irish U21 international. The former Manchester United trainee beat Bradford 'keeper Simon Eastwood to the ball and managed to create space for himself 12 yards out but Eastwood somehow managed to get back and spread himself well to block Fagan's final effort.
Shortly after the hour mark another loose clearance from the home defence saw the ball run free and when Jamie Clarke outsprinted Simon Ramsden, the Bradford full-back slid in on the City man as he entered the penalty area. There was no doubting this penalty decision and after Ramsden was cautioned, Rene Howe stepped up to send Eastwood the wrong way for his first goal in City colours.
A minute later it was 2-0 with Chris Fagan also getting his Imps' account off the mark. Fagan, who appeared to want to take the penalty only for Howe to get the honour, capitalised on some more hesitant Bradford defending to gain possession and, after he skipped past his marker, took the ball forward and when his shot took a slight deflection, it wrong footed Eastwood and nestled in the foot of the net.
Temperatures started to rise with Brown and Brandon squaring up to each other close to the touchline before the each saw a yellow card and after City defended a couple of corners, the advancing Hughton saw his goalbound effort clip a home defender and out for an Imps' flag-kick.
Both sides made a change in the 74th minute with Lenny John-Lewis replacing Jamie Clarke for the Imps whilst Joe Colbeck came on for Lee Bullock for the home side. It was the Lincoln substitute that had the first taste of the action with his low centre to Howe who saw his clever drag-back blocked at point-blank range by Eastwood. Howe then had a shot blocked by Williams after good work from Hutchinson saw him gain possession before laying the ball into the path of the Peterborough United loanee
A double Bradford substitution with eight minutes on the clock saw James O'Brien and Michael Boulding come on for Brandon and Thorne. Three minutes after this changearound, Burch saved a low Boulding shot with his legs before Brown hacked a follow-up effort off the line.
City got the ball up the other end of the field as the game ticked into its final four minutes with Hutchinson forcing Ramsden to concede a corner; Oakes took the flag-kick but Kovacs sent his header wide.
At the other end Evans stabbed an effort a foot wide of the left-hand post and shortly before the Fourth Official indicated that a minimum of four minutes were to be added, Colbeck and Hutchinson clashed in the centre circle after the Bradford substitute went in somewhat hard on the City teenager. Colbeck picked up a deserved yellow, whilst Shane Clarke also picked up a caution for his part in the aftermath.
Midway through the added stages, Evans hammered the ball straight at Kovacs' arm for a free-kick and before the set-piece could be lined up Clarke needed treatment after taking a knock to his face. James O'Brien eventually took the kick, which hit the City wall before going behind for a corner which was claimed by Burch.
With boss Peter Jackson waiting to bring 18-year-old Lee Bennett on for his Football League bow, Colbeck dragged a lame effort wide and before the goal-kick was taken, Bennett replaced Stefan Oakes.
Bennett managed to get an early touch during his 60 seconds on the pitch and when referee Webb brought proceedings to a close, the 324-strong band of travelling fans were on their feet to salute the players following their magnificent victory.
FT: BRADFORD 0 IMPS 2
MATCH FACTS
LINCOLN CITY
1 Rob BURCH
25 Cian HUGHTON
4 Janos KOVACS
5 Moses SWAIBU
3 Aaron BROWN
11 Scott KERR
19 Shane CLARKE
7 Stefan OAKES
15 Jamie CLARKE
10 Chris FAGAN
18 Rene HOWE
subs
26 Andy HUTCHINSON (for KERR h/t)
14 Lenell JOHN-LEWIS (for J CLARKE 74)
32 Lee BENNETT (for OAKES 90+6)
6 Danny HONE
17 Sam CLUCAS
30 Luca COLEMAN-CARR
20 Paul MUSSELWHITE
GOALS: HOWE (62 pen), FAGAN (63)
BOOKINGS: KERR (22), FAGAN (25), BROWN (66), S CLARKE (90+1)
BRADFORD CITY
1 Simon EASTWOOD
2 Simon RAMSDEN
3 Luke O'BRIEN
4 Michael FLYNN
5 Zesh REHMAN
8 Lee BULLOCK
9 Gareth EVANS
10 Peter THORNE
11 Chris BRANDON
12 Steve WILLIAMS
17 James HANSON
subs
15 Joe COLBECK (for BULLOCK 74)
19 James O'BRIEN (for BRANDON 82)
14 Michael BOULDING (for THORNE 82)
6 Matthew CLARKE
20 Leon OSBORNE
24 Louis HORNE
13 Jon McLAUGHLIN
BOOKINGS: BRANDON (66), COLBECK (90+1)
MATCH OFFICIALS
REFEREE: David Webb
ASSISTANTS: Steve Cook & Tony Harrington
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Seb Stockbridge
ATTENDANCE: 11,242 (324 City supporters)
