And that's why Lincoln won't go up this year


By Nathan Jackson
February 20 2007

Lincoln City showed exactly why they won't be going up this season, with an embarrassing home defeat to Hereford United. At least half the side didn't deserve to wear the shirt with their disgraceful performances as 2 Hereford players continued their good scoring runs against Lincoln.

The game started off badly for City as after just 2 minutes 30 seconds, Alan Connell did his usual trick of scoring past the Imps. He shot just from the edge of the area after a corner. Despite having a goal disallowed in the reverse fixture earlier this year, it still means that Connell has now scored (legally or not) in his last 4 games against the Imps.

 

City took the ball straight down the other end, but Paul Mayo’s quick free kick caught 3 City players by surprise as none of them could connect with the ball. Weir-Daley then showed some brilliance on the 8th minute mark when Kerr played him through, the striker beat two defenders but goalkeeper Brown kept him out with an equally brilliant save. Frecklington’s long range effort was blocked soon after.

 

Danny Thomas wasted a good chance for the visitors before Weir-Daley again broke free, but again Brown was able to save well at his feet. Mayo was booked after a challenge on McClenahan, the free kick was headed home by Smith but the referee blew for a free kick.

 

Amoo needlessly let the ball go in midfield when he didn’t go for a ball just 2 yards away from him, Hereford broke as McClenahan crossed for Guinan to make it 2-0. Just like Connell, Guinan has a habit of scoring against the Imps and this was his 3rd straight match against City that he’s scored in. Guinan volleyed wide just minutes later.

 

Stallard tried from the edge of the area but could only find Brown, just minutes before Eaden shot on from the edge of the area. That was the final incident of a first half that ended with City getting booed off the pitch.

 

Warlow replaced Mayo at half time, and within 20 seconds Hereford had broke with Danny Thomas, he crossed in and Guinan smashed into the net, giving Hereford a 3-0 lead with their only 3 shots on target in the whole game.

 

Warlow’s first contribution was to almost provide Stallard with a goal, but his cross was cut out by a Hereford defender. The ball fell to McClenahan and his shot hit the bar, it came back out to Guinan who headed in, but City fans breathed a sigh of relief after the linesman’s flag was up. However, after consultation between the officials a goal was giving and Guinan became the first opposition player since Nathan Tyson to score a hat-trick at Sincil Bank.

 

Kerr took a free kick, Brown headed back across goal and Weir-Daley scored his 5th goal since joining on loan. Frecklington and Kerr almost linked up well, before Nat Brown’s header from a corner was easily claimed by the visiting goalkeeper.

 

Amoo then rounded off a nightmare game for himself by being put through was Warlow. He ran one-on-one with the keeper, stopped, looked around to see if anyone was there, and had the ball taken off him by Beckwith. Mettam replaced Amoo, he was sent off 10 minutes later for stupidly lunging into a challenge ages after the ball had gone.

 

Green replaced Weir-Daley. Then Shock! Horror! Jeff Hughes has a chance to cross to the back post where several Imps players are waiting, but tries to shoot from a near impossible angle and it goes wide. It is at this point that I walked out so the rest of the report is going by what the official website says.

 

Apparantly Hughes hit a post, before Frecklington had a header cleared off the line, before the referee blew the final whistle to a now ¾ empty stadium.