A stoppage time goal from Danny Hone saw City salvage a deserved point at a bitterly cold Darlington on Tuesday evening.

The Imps had trailed to a 38th minute Gary Dempsey effort which saw the midfielder's right-footed drive squirm through Rob Burch's grasp before the ball trickled over the goal line but City always looked likely to snatch a leveller, although they certainly left it late to do just that.

The game was in the seventh minute of added time when Burch pumped a free-kick into the mix and when the ball was half-cleared there to loop it over a packed area and into the back of the net was Hone for a dramatic first goal of the season.

MATCH FACTS

LINCOLN CITY
1 Rob BURCH
6 Danny HONE
5 Moses SWAIBU
22 Adam WATTS
38 Joe ANDERSON
11 Scott KERR
34 Chris HERD
25 Cian HUGHTON
35 Brian GILMOUR
9 Paul CONNOR
36 Delroy FACEY

subs
14 Lenell JOHN-LEWIS (for FACEY 53)
16 Steven LENNON (for HUGHTON 72)
7 Stefan OAKES
19 Shane CLARKE
23 Clark KELTIE
31 Michael GORDON
20 Paul MUSSELWHITE

GOAL: HONE (90+7)

BOOKINGS: KERR (19), HERD (49), HONE (75)

DARLINGTON
23 Shane REDMOND
22 Simon MADDEN
4 Alan WHITE
6 Ian MILLER
20 Stuart GIDDINGS
7 Jeff SMITH
11 Gary DEMPSEY
28 Gareth WAITE
19 Tadgh PURCELL
15 Curtis MAIN
30 Mor DIOP

subs
12 Josh GRAY (for DIOP 62)
24 Nathan MULLIGAN (for J SMITH 89)
29 Patrick DEANE (for MAIN 90+5)
14 Gary SMITH
16 Danny GROVES
33 Richie BYRNE
13 Nick LIVERSEDGE

GOAL: DEMPSEY (38)

BOOKINGS: PURCELL (45+1), WAITE (81)

REFEREE: Andy Haines
ASSISTANTS: Barry Holderness & Ross Joyce
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Tony Peart

ATTENDANCE: 1,697 (148 City supporters)