Subs make an impact in the game of two halves

City scored five second half goals with each one involving the three substitutes. After one of the worst first half performances in recent memory, Peter Jackson made a triple substitution at half time, Patulea scoring a brace with both Aaron Brown and Ben Wright scoring their first of the season, Lee Frecklington scoring City's rather undeserved fifth.

The Imps got the game under way and were early on the attack. City were slightly the better side in the opening exchanges but it took until the seventh minute for the game's first chance to really come along, It came via a corner but no Imps could get near to the ball from Oakes and it was easily cleared. Another corner came City's way but it was easily claimed by Kenny Arthur.

Within a minute and Accrington launched their first attack of the game, creating a goal in the process. John Miles picked up the ball and ran at goal, cutting inside to avoid Paul Green and then launching a 25 yard effort, it curled around Burch and nestled into the net and the Imps were behind yet again.

The Imps launched an immediate attack from the resulting centre, David Graham heading wide from Aaron Brown's cross before he was caught offside a minute later following on from a Frecklington effort. That was a rare first half attack for the Imps as it almost became 2-0 soon afterwards when a cross was heading in after missing several defenders, only Lee Beevers' header keeping it out of the net.

Oakes shot over from outside of the box but it wasn't long before the ball was in City's net again. A corner floated into the box was headed goalwards and after a mini-scramble, the ball was in the goal. Thankfully the referee disallowed the goal for handball and it was certainly a let off for the Imps as City could have realistically been three or four down before half time.

Infact, Accrington had an even better effort cleared off of the line when Hone just got his head to a Jimmy Ryan effort. The half time whistle was greeted with heavy booing from the City fans, but that was to be the last we saw of Stefan Oakes, LJL and David Graham as all were substituted at half time, being replaced by Ben Wright, Adrian Patulea and Sam Mullarkey.

Within two seconds of the restart, Patulea was spoken to by the referee as he had cropped Haywood. Charnock was soon booked for a foul before Patulea fouled Mullin. City were playing poorly again but Accrington weren't really creating anything. Ben Wright had the second half's first effort as he just failed to get to a Kovacs long ball.

Mullarkey shot wide before Kerr's corner was punched out by Arthur. Then, after 68 frustrating minutes, the Imps were level. Brown hit a cross that saw Wright's header kept on, only for Patulea to pounce on the rebound to score his first goal since the 3-1 win over Chesterfield, a good omen for the Imps as we had won three out of the previous four games he had scored in.

Frecklington's effort was blocked by Arthur just minutes after before Kerr and Brown got into heavy arguments with Accrington players, the referee failing to book anything. Good work from Patulea meant that he got free in the area, only to see his shot come off of the post and it appeared it was going to remain a frustrating night for City. Mullarkey, who to be fair to him was having a good match, then proved pivotal in what turned out to be the game's winning goal as his cross was headed in by Aaron Brown, scoring his first goal for the Imps. Brown was booked for celebrating without his shirt on.

The Imps were in full flow now and just a minute after Patulea had a chance blocked by a defender before a short corner was played towards Green. He crossed it in and Ben Wright grazed the ball past Arthur and into the net for 3-1. Grant went off for James Bell and he was booked for a foul on Frecklington.

Good work between Mullarkey, Frecklington and Wright saw the ball fall to Patulea and the Romanian calmly put the ball beyond Arthur to make it 4-1 in added on time and he had a chance to score his hatrick a minute later. He ran into the box but was tripped and City gained a penalty, only for Frecklington to take the penalty, strange considering Patulea was on a hatrick. Frecklington wasted no time and smashed it into the net to give City their biggest win under Peter Jackson.