An emotional Friday night at Sincil Bank Stadium saw City emerge 3-1 victors over Hereford United.

With tributes being paid to Keith Alexander before the game and the appearance of the FIFA World Cup during the interval, City took the lead in the 11th minute when Davide Somma was picked out by Scott Kerr before cutting inside his marker and unleashing a left-footed bullet which whistled past Adam Bartlett and into the net via the underside of the crossbar.

The lead was doubled 10 minutes later when Matt Saunders fired home a spectacular first goal for the Club. The Fulham loanee gained possession midway inside the Hereford half and after bringing the ball under control he let fly from fully 35 yards with his effort flying over Bartlett who was left clutching thin air.

Hereford's heads didn't drop, however, and three minutes before the break Marc Pugh halved the arrears but City rallied after the break with Somma playing in Saunders who fired home his second of the game in the 71st minute.

Match report by John Vickers at Sincil Bank Stadium:

There was an enforced change to the City starting line-up for this Coca-Cola League 2 encounter against Hereford United at Sincil Bank Stadium with Shane Clarke coming in for the injured Chris Herd in midfield. Assistant boss Ian Pearce, meanwhile, had shaken off a hamstring strain and lined up alongside Moses Swaibu once again in the centre of defence. New signing James Reid was named amongst the substitutes.

After a minute's applause in memory of Keith Alexander, City kicked off attacking the Stacey West Stand and the Imps were quick to press forward with a Davide Somma cross just evading the onrushing Shane Clarke, who started in a central midfield role with Matt Saunders beginning on the left.

The opening stages were pretty cagey, however, with neither goalkeeper troubled between their respective sticks as the five minute mark came and went. A scuffed effort from Marc Pugh which went a couple of feet past Rob Burch's left-hand upright being Hereford's first attempt at goal.

The action quickly switched to the other end, however, and in the 11th minute a forward ball from skipper Scott Kerr found Somma. The South African striker duly did the rest as, after he cut inside Daniel Preston, he unleashed a left-footed bullet which whistled past Adam Bartlett and into the net via the underside of the crossbar.

It was the Leeds United loanee's second goal in as many games at Sincil Bank and a loose back pass a minute or so later almost let him in again but Bartlett was quickly off his line and cleared his lines.

At the other end Burch did well to push away a goalbound Gavin McCallum drive before Pearce blocked a James McQuilkin effort. The Bulls then won the first corner of the match and City had Cian Hughton to thank as he hooked the ball off the line after Leon Constantine rose high to head goalwards.

City's response was immediate and in the 21st minute Matt Saunders fired home a spectacular first goal for the Club. The Fulham loanee gained possession midway inside the Hereford half and after bringing the ball under control he let fly from fully 35 yards with his effort flying over Bartlett who was left clutching thin air.

Almost straight from the restart, Steven Lennon drilled an effort wide of the target as the Imps pushed for a third before Hereford's response saw Kenny Lunt fire well wide.

A quiet spell ensued with play concentrated mainly in the middle third; this broken when Drewe Broughton strayed into an offside position after Somma played in his strike colleague, robbing him of a run on goal in the process.

Three minutes before the break the action switched to the other end, however, and when a cross into the area was headed into the path of Marc Pugh he did the rest by drilling past Burch to halve the arrears. Credit must go to Hereford for the way they kept going after going two down and their travelling fans will feel as though they deserved to get back into things.

Two additional minutes came and went without incident so it was the Imps who went into the interval with their noses in front.

HT: IMPS 2 HEREFORD 1

No changes were made during the break so it was as you were as the Bulls got things underway again.

The start to the second half began in a similar fashion to the opening stages of the game in that neither goalkeeper was troubled and five minutes had elapsed before the first half chance came along with a forward ball from Kerr to Somma seeing the latter send an attempted lob over Bartlett wide.

In terms of possession, the opening 10 minutes belonged to the visitors whilst a knock to Swaibut brought about a stoppage in play to allow physio Michael Wait to administer treatment.

When play restarted, Pearce was forced to head a dangerous cross behind for only the second corner of the game; Burch emerged with the ball in his gloves when it was drilled in from the quadrant, though.

Hereford remained in the ascendancy with a foul from Anderson on Pugh giving them a free-kick which Burch was forced to punch clear. At the other end Bartlett punched a Kerr cross to safety before a subsequent Hereford break ended with the overlapping Ryan Valentine seeing his centre claimed by Burch.

As the second half approached its midway point, a mistimed challenge from Kerr on James McQuilkin gave United the chance to try and create something from a free-kick and when the ball was floated in, City got bodies in the way with two goalline blocks coming before the ball was scrambled behind for a corner which Kerr subsequently cleared.

The Imps were forced to make a change in the 69th minute with Swaibu, still struggling from his earlier knock, being replaced by Danny Hone. A couple of minutes later the Imps restored their two goal advantage.

First half scorers Somma and Saunders were the men involved in the third goal as when the former gained possession on the right hand side of the box and was given time to turn, he looked up and picked out the latter with a clever pass with the outside of his foot. Saunders duly rifled in his second of the game from 12 yards.

Three minutes after the restart an aerial challenge between Valentine and and Broughton left the City man grounded and in some discomfort; a yellow card was Valentine's punishment despite the Imps' fans baying for red.

When play restarted Hereford won their fourth corner which was headed away by Saunders before Burch gathered Pugh's follow-up effort

Both sides then made changes with Mathieu Manset and Matthew Done coming on for Craig King and Leon Constantine for the visitors whilst for the Imps, Ian Pearce was replaced by Paul Green; the assistant manager limping out of proceedings to add to the central defensive injury woes.

Hereford made it five nil on the corner count with six minutes on the clock but City stood firm and preserved their two-goal advantage. Three minutes later a looping header from Manset was claimed under his bar by Burch.

The Fourth Official indicated that a minimum of four minutes were to be added and 60 seconds in, Paul Connor replaced Drewe Broughton. Shortly afterwards, Somma sliced a left-footed effort wide from a narrowing angle.

This proved to be the last action of the game and when referee Darren Deadman took a final blow on his whistle it brought an end to an emotional, and ultimately memorable, Friday evening of football at Sincil Bank Stadium.

FT: IMPS 3 HEREFORD 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
19 Shane CLARKE
16 Steven LENNON
15 Drewe BROUGHTON
18 Davide SOMMA

subs
6 Danny HONE (for SWAIBU 69)
2 Paul GREEN (for PEARCE 81)
9 Paul CONNOR (for BROUGHTON 90+2)
21 James REID
31 Michael GORDON
35 Brian GILMOUR
20 Paul MUSSELWHITE

GOALS: SOMMA (11), SAUNDERS (21 & 71)

HEREFORD UNITED
1 Adam BARTLETT
2 Ryan GREEN
3 Ryan VALENTINE
20 Darren JONES
6 Kenny LUNT
7 Marc PUGH
10 Leon CONSTANTINE
26 Craig KING
31 Gavin McCALLUM
14 James McQUILKIN
17 Daniel PRESTON

subs
22 Mathieu MANSET (for KING 81)
23 Matthew DONE (for CONSTANTINE 81)
4 Richard ROSE
12 Edrissa SONKO
15 Sam GWYNNE
16 Paul DOWNING
30 Chris ADAMSON

GOAL: PUGH (42)

BOOKING: VALENTINE (75)

REFEREE: Darren Deadman
ASSISTANTS: Mark Brown & Danny Markham
FOURTH OFFICIAL: David Benton

ATTENDANCE: 6,012 (130 visiting supporters)