MATCH 8 : Seven goal thriller in the Carling Cup

City and Scunthorpe couldn't have had much different starts to the 2006/7 season. Lincoln were unbeaten but Scunthorpe hadn't recorded a victory up until this point. Scunthorpe had been promoted 15 months earlier and the Imps would have joined them had it not been for Southend United. The Iron had impressed in the 2005/6 season, but City went into the tie favourites after Scunthorpe were the lowest placed seeds in the draw.

City fans were enjoying the best football we had seen the Imps play in many years and it was a brand of football that saw us destroy several teams in the coming months.

The Imps kicked off and but booted it to the wing and it went off for a throw in. City did start brightly and were passing it nicely but couldn’t get near the goal. It was the Iron who had the first chance when Foy won them a corner, however, they couldn’t make it could. Frecklington sent a weak volley straight at Murphy. Scunthorpe United attacked from the keeper’s distribution and Steve Torpey easily rounded the Imps defence and smashed the Iron in front with 8 minutes gone. Torpey would join the Imps less than 12 months later after being released by Scunthorpe. Scunthorpe were unlucky not to make it 2-0 a few minutes later when Mulligan headed the ball across goal following poor defensive work from Mayo.

Sparrow was booked for Scunthorpe after a foul on Stallard that saw the striker spend several minutes on the ground. City continued to play increasingly badly but were fortunately restricting Scunthorpe chances as the defence were just hoofing it off the pitch at every opportunity. Steve Torpey was replaced by a man who almost joined City in the summer, Shane Paul. He enjoyed a successful trial spell with the Imps but chose the Iron over the Imps. Within a few minutes,

City were definitely let off the hook when Steve Foster somehow headed wide from inside the 6 yard area when unmarked. Rayner was kept busy when he pushed Billy Sharp’s header around the post.

Scunthorpe won another corner soon afterwards and despite City initially clearing it, Sharp sent a long range shot over the bar and that was the last action of the first half as City were booed off the pitch with one of the worst first half performances in a LONG time and if I’m being honest, we were fortunate to just be a goal down.

Stallard headed a good chance wide before Billy Sharp wasted an equally good chance when Beevers’ slipped. Beevers was again the source of a Scunthorpe chance when Sparrow got by him before sending a cross to Paul, but he also headed well wide of the target. What’s this, Beevers giving Scunthorpe another opportunity? He fouled Sharp on the edge of the area. Dave Mulligan stepped up and sent a beautiful curling shot into the top left hand corner of the net. It was a lead that the Iron had deserved.

City finally created a chance when Kerr sent the ball into Amoo down the right with 20 minutes to go, he sent a ball across goal, it took a small deflection into the path to Mark Stallard who smashed the ball into the net. Although it still seemed unlikely that City would get level as the goal came against the run of play. Cleveland Taylor and Ian Baraclough replaced Mulligan and Foy for the hosts.

Ex-Scunthorpe striker, Jamie Forrester came close to spectacularly bringing the Imps level when he volleyed across goal and the ball went just over the bar. City suddenly looked like a decent side and when City won a corner just 10 minutes from time, City finally pulled level when the corner wasn’t cleared properly, it fell to Lee Frecklington who volleyed goalwards, it took a deflection and went into the net, although the keeper should have done much better.

Within 2 minutes, City thought that had turned it around when Jamie Forrester was first to react to the ball falling loose in the area but referee Amy Rayner had her flag raised and it remained 2-2. The final decent chance came City’s way but Hughes’ corner was caught by Murphy and the referee blew for full time and it was extra-time.

Within 2 minutes of the restart and Andy Crosby received a yellow for fouling Jamie Forrester. Kerr took the free kick and Lee Beevers rose and headed the Imps in front for the first time in the match to send the visiting fans wild and it was a well deserved goal given how the 2^nd half had ended. It could have been 4-2 when Jeff Hughes ran through one on one just a few minutes later but is shot went wide of the post. Beevers then almost spectacularly doubled his tally when his 25 yard curling was well kept out by Murphy. That was the final noteworthy action of the first half.

Within a few minutes of the restart, Shane Paul reacted to Richard Hinds’ pullback and made it 3-3 and that seemed to deflate the Imps’ players and within a minute when Rayner chose to punch a cross straight to ex Imp Ian Baraclough who had little difficulty in making it 4-3 for Scunthorpe and that was effectively game over. It did seem as though the game still had something left but the 4^th official indicated just 1 minute of added time despite a Scunthorpe player receiving treatment for 4 minutes in the 2^nd half of extra-time. It was unsurprisingly that nothing happened in that time and City crashed out of the Carling Cup at the first hurdle.

City still haven't won a cup game since that day. This result kick started the Iron's season and they eventually went on to win League One.