The youth team went down 2-0 to Hartlepool at Lincoln Moorlands Railway's Newark Round ground last weekend, reports Head of Youth Grant Brown.

City started brightly with Alex Simmons setting up Reece Thompson but his shot hit the post and rebounded to safety. Hartlepool took the lead when their striker latched on to a through ball and calmly lifted the ball over the advancing Ollie Pannell in the Lincoln goal.

They doubled their lead minutes later through a counter attack. City had some good play down the right side, Archie Massen delivered a dangerous cross from the right but the ball ended up in the goalkeeper's hands after a ricochet. They broke away quickly and although Pannell made an initial save he could only parry the ball into the path of the Hartlepool striker who slotted home.

Lincoln had a chance to reduce the deficit when Sam Downey met Rob Taylor's corner but his powerful header went narrowly wide. City hit the bar in the second half after a good cross from Thompson was directed onto the crossbar by a defender and away for a corner.

Pannell was brought into action, making an excellent double save to deny Hartlepool a third goal. City had another effort from a Taylor corner, this time Luke Weaver's header was cleared off the line.

City kept pushing forward but were unable to break down a well drilled Hartlepool defence.

Team: Pannell, Coupland, Rawdon, Downey (Cotton 80), Weaver, Green (Leggett 25), Massen, Taylor, Thompson, Simmons (Rice 80), Robinson.