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Peterborough
1 Lincoln 1
21st January 2006
There were mixed emotions at Peterborough this afternoon,
as Lincoln claimed a point despite their best efforts at
sabotage!
Imps' boss Keith Alexander was forced into one change to
the side that defeated Barnet 4-1 last weekend.
Transfer-listed midfielder Dean Keates was suspended,
which meant a recall for defender Nat Brown, although
Brown was played in midfield. Taking Brown's place on the
substitutes' bench was new signing Jude Stirling.
Early indications that Lincoln were not at their best,
came from the kick-off when the ball ended up out of
play. Peterborough created the first chance at goal when
ex-Imp Peter Gain fired a long range shot over the
crossbar after just three minutes of play. Even before
that, they had already won a corner and did so again a
minute later.
Free-kicks were aplenty, as challenges flew in from both
sets of players. Although Peterborough were the better
side during the opening minutes, they should have fallen
victim to a Lincoln counterattack in the 13th minute.
Ex-Peterborough striker Franny Green managed to race
clear of the home defence before passing to Simon Yeo.
Unfortunately, with the goal at his mercy, Yeo curled the
ball wide of the post.
Two minutes later, Lincoln won a free-kick when Phil
Bolland fouled Marvin Robinson. Scott Kerr flighted the
ball into the penalty area, where Jamie McCombe headed
just over the crossbar. Next, in the 17th minute, Danny
Crow flicked the ball on to James Quinn, whose subsequent
shot was well saved by Alan Marriott.
Approaching the half-hour mark, chances at goal were at a
premium despite both sides winning several corners.
However, Gain avenged the boos from the Imps' supporters
by netting the opening goal in the 29th minute.
Peterborough had won a corner, which was cleared by
Lincoln but only to Gain, who blasted a 25-yard shot past
Marriott for 1-0; it was an excellent goal.
Crow became the first player to receive a caution, when
he was booked for a 32nd minute foul on Jeff Hughes.
Three minutes later, Marvin Robinson volleyed a shot wide
for Lincoln. Apart from a couple of further corners, plus
a near goal-line block from Colin Cryan, there were few
other incidents of note during the first half.
Neither side made any alterations for the second half,
and play continued in a scrappy manner, with countless
free-kicks interrupting the entertainment. It was a far
cry from the fine half-time entertainment that
Peterborough had provided, which included a band.
Tempers were fraying, as both Quinn and Kerr were
cautioned within quick succession, around the hour mark.
Both managers made changes to try and inject something
different, as Stirling replaced Cryan for Lincoln, while
Peterborough's Crow was substituted for Calum Willock.
A second set of substitutions by both sides came in the
73rd minute when Marvin Robinson and Kerr were replaced
by Ollie Ryan and Lee Frecklington respectively for a
double Lincoln substitution. Peterborough opted to
replace Quinn with ex-Imps' loanee Richard Logan.
Further bookings followed for Peterborough's Dean Holden
and Lincoln's Hughes and Yeo. The only thing missing was
a Lincoln equaliser, but that seemed a dream, as both
sides cancelled each other out. However, Lincoln suddenly
upped the tempo, perhaps inspired by Stirling's long
throw-ins or the youthful enthusiasm of Ryan and
Frecklington. In another breakaway, Ryan had a great
opportunity to score but he unselfishly passed to Yeo,
who missed.
Lincoln's more adventurous approach did pay off in the
84th minute, when Yeo made amends. A good ball into the
area by Steve Robinson was met by the stooping head of
Yeo to make it 1-1. Yeo then raced to celebrate his goal
in front of the travelling supporters, which earnt him a
second yellow card and therefore a red card. A clearly
upset Yeo made his way off the pitch while expressing his
disgust at the decision.
So, a few seconds of jubilation turned to despair, as
City were forced to play the remainder of the match with
ten men. Somehow, they survived to claim a point, which
in the context of the league, is quite a good result.
Lincoln's team performance was also quite good, and they
would have won comfortably against a lower grade
opposition.
Peterborough: M Tyler, D Holden, P Bolland,
C Plummer, M Arber, A Newton, P Carden, P Gain, J Day, J
Quinn (75 R Logan), D Crow (63 C Willock)
Unused subs: D Farrell, S St. Ledger, S Huke
Lincoln
City: A
Marriott, C Cryan (63 J Stirling), G McAuley, J McCombe,
J Hughes, S Robinson, N Brown, S Kerr (74 L
Frecklington), F Green, M Robinson (74 O Ryan), S Yeo
Unused subs: G Birch, O Ryan, L Frecklington, L Foster, J
Stirling
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