City lost 1-0 to TuS Celle FC in the pre-season friendly on Thursday evening but manager Peter Jackson can surely take plenty of positives from the match in Germany.

The only goal of the game came seven minutes after Rob Burch had palmed away a penalty on the half-hour mark but apart from that the Imps dominated but found that killer touch somewhat elusive.

Summer signings Chris Fagan and Jamie Clarke were a constant threat throughout the match and only some inspired defending and goalkeeping from the home side ensured they kept a clean sheet. The closest City came was when second half substitute Luca Coleman-Carr rattled the crossbar.

Match report by John Vickers at the Günther-Volker-Stadion:

City kicked off in warm and muggy conditions at the Günther-Volker-Stadion and quickly pieced together a neat passing move which ended with Joe Heath whipping in a cross from the left which was claimed by the home 'keeper.

In the fifth minute Jamie Clarke, who started alongside fellow new boy Chris Fagan up front, was having his shirt pulled in the box but the referee somehow deemed the home defender's challenge to be fair and waved play on much to the annoyance of the summer signing.

Stefan Oakes then tested the Celle goalkeeper with a rasping left-footed drive before he swung in the first corner of the game which was headed over by Moses Swaibu. Fagan was then inches away from connecting with another Heath cross and good link-up play between Nathan Adams and trialist Cian Hughton saw the latter's ball into the box claimed well by the home number one.

It was all City as they continued to dominate the opening quarter of an hour and after Hughton cleared Celle's first corner Fagan, from a peach of a ball by Oakes, was denied at the near post by a posse of home defenders who were back in force to clear their lines.

Oakes and Fagan then linked up again in the 20th minute with the end result being a fine save from the home 'keeper before Jamie Clarke, following up, was saw his goalbound effort deflected wide after a home defender stuck out a leg as the lively striker pulled the trigger.

At the other end, and from Celle's first real attack of note, Swaibu got in a great last-ditch challenge to deny his opposing striker just as the opening quarter of the game passed. The referee then called for a drinks break allowing both squads to take some much needed fluid on board.

Having weathered the Imps' storm, the hosts pressed forward on the half-hour mark and when the ball was played over the top, Rob Burch was quickly off his line and as he slid in to challenge his man, appeared to clip him with the referee quick to point to the spot. Burch redeemed himself though by going down well to his right and palming 10's penalty away to safety.

City responded with skipper Aaron Brown having a low effort well claimed by the home 'keeper but the hosts were back on the attack in the 37th minute when a great touch from number 8 saw him get the wrong side of Danny Hone and he promptly drilled a low right-footed effort, which took a slight deflection off the City defender, past Burch to give his side the advantage.

The Imps looked for a quick reply and would have been back on level terms had the home 'keeper not made a fine double save to deny Fagan after he was picked out by another excellent forward ball from Oakes. This proved to be the last action of the opening half, which saw the home side go into the break a goal to the good.

Five changes at the break saw Janos Kovacs, Richard Butcher, Kern Miller, Luca Coleman-Carr and Paul Musselwhite replace Danny Hone, Stefan Oakes, Moses Swaibu, Aaron Brown and Rob Burch and within the opening 30 seconds of the second half good work from Jamie Clarke, moved to the right to allow Nathan Adams to move inside, saw him beat his marker before being denied by a fine save from the home stopper.

Clarke was in the action again five minutes later when he skipped past his man before picking out Fagan who was at full stretch as he headed over whilst Coleman-Carr, operating in a wide-left role, skipped past a couple of challenges before seeing his final pass hacked away to safety.

City came close to levelling matters in the 55th minute when a fine move down the right saw Butcher and Clarke link up before the latter squared to Fagan who was denied by the out-stretched boot of a home defender. Coleman-Carr then tested the home 'keeper with a powerful left-footed drive which looked destined for the bottom corner of the net and a minute later the teenager set up Jamie Clarke who fired into side netting from a narrow angle.

Coleman-Carr was seeing a lot of the ball on the left flank and was a constant danger to the home defence as the game carried on, but that killer final ball still eluded the Imps and with 14 minutes on the clock, boss Peter Jackson opted for experience with assistant boss Iffy Onuora and first team coach Simon Clark replacing Nathan Adams and Joe Heath respectively.

Fagan came close again 10 minutes from time when he stabbed a Coleman-Carr centre a foot wide whilst the former Manchester United youngster curled a 25 yard effort inches over the bar three minutes later.

Time was running out for the Imps, however, although they continued to push their hosts on to the back foot with Coleman-Carr rattling the crossbar after a Clark shot was half-cleared to the second year scholar, Jamie Clarke forcing the Celle number one into another save and Kovacs, up for a corner, volleying just wide.

City: Rob Burch (Paul Musselwhite h/t), Cian Hughton, Joe Heath (Simon Clark 76), Danny Hone (Janos Kovacs h/t), Moses Swaibu (Kern Miller h/t), Shane Clarke, Stefan Oakes (Richard Butcher h/t), Nathan Adams (Iffy Onuora 76), Aaron Brown (Luca Coleman-Carr h/t), Chris Fagan, Jamie Clarke.