Youths come from behind to beat Oadby Town in the FA Youth Cup Third Round Qualifying.
From the kick off the Imps were on the attack and forced a corner, Reece Robinson-Jones swung it into the box, Oadby half cleared to Calum Stewart who shot from just outside the box but the home side blocked the shot, the ball ran loose but the linesman's flag went up for offside.
In Oadby's first venture forward Regan Start in the Imps goal was called into action, saving at the strikers feet before blocking the follow up shot and diverting the ball out of play for a corner, from the resulting corner Oadby were caught offside.
A long ball forward by Luke Andersen down the left for Stewart to chase which he managed to reach resulted in another Imps corner, this time the Referee Mr A Murphy deemed there was a foul on the keeper, Lincoln continued to try to get Stewart in down the left but the final ball into the strikers wasn't quite there.
On 21 minutes played, Oadby opened the scoring, a deep corner taken on the left was returned into the centre and was bundled over the line, 1-0 to the home side.
A succession of free kicks to both teams followed, the referee having to have words with the Oadby striker, then on 38 minutes Lincoln nearly levelled when Stewart once again down the left beat the full back, cut inside but his shot came back off the bar, Oadby cleared, it was returned into the box but the keeper collected comfortably.
The best move of the game came with a couple of minutes remaining in the half when Leon Loftus played 1-2's with Lewis Millington then Jenk Acar down the right, Loftus got to the bye line his cross found Stewart who headed back across goal and Oadby cleared their lines, so at the break it was the home side who edged this keenly contested FA Youth Cup tie.
Both teams came out unchanged for the second half and it was the Imps on the front foot from the off, Oadby's keeper and defence were increasingly put under pressure but kept the Imps at bay then against the run of play, Oadby doubled their lead close to the hour mark.
The first substitutions of game saw Lincoln's Stewart and Millington replaced by Clarke and Moyses, just minutes later Lincoln made their final change with Andersen making way for Weatherell after the former had taken a blow to the head which resulted in a cut. The referee restarted the game with the Oadby striker returning the ball to the Imps keeper but made him make a save! however a few minutes later he found himself in the book after a elbow on Jack Fixter.
An Acar run saw him fouled outside the box, Moyses with the free kick lifted & curled it over the wall but agonisingly over the bar too, Clarke had a good opportunity from an Acar pass but the keeper blocked with his feet, Lincoln were creating chances, and with the just 13 minutes remaining on the clock they got their reward, a cross from the left by Moyses was flicked on, Oadby's defender tried to clear but he only managed to turn the ball into the net.
On 82 minutes, Oadby striker who had already been booked, deliberately hand balled although the referee gave the free kick he bizarrely failed to produce a second yellow card, from the resulting free kick which evaded all but saw the incoming Clarke round the back but he couldn't make the connection and the ball rolled out of play for a goal kick.
With the clock ticking down, six to go, the Imps finally found a deserved equaliser when the ball found its way to Liam Harris who turned the ball into the net past the outstretched arms of the keeper.
A minute later Oadby had another name taken by the referee for a pull back when Acar was looking to get into the box, from the free kick it was headed clear, more Imps pressure looking for the winner, then with just 3 minutes left, Oadby failed to clear this time and it was Leon Loftus to strike from inside the box to complete the comeback.
Game management in the final minutes & added time by Lincoln saw out the time, the referee concluded the game with the Imps coming out on top against a tough, sometimes over physical side, having scored three goals in 10 minutes to set up a home tie against Port Vale.
Imps: Start, Loftus, Thompson, Robinson-Jones, Fixter, Andersen, Millington, Harris, McMenemy, Acar, Stewart. Subs: Moyses, Weatherell, Clarke, White, Hutchinson-Wilks.
