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City win and finally keep a clean sheet
By Nathan Jackson
October 6 2006
For the first time since beating Grimsby 5-0, City kept a clean sheet at home with a 2-0 win over improving Hartlepool United. Goals from Jamie Forrester and Jeff Hughes gave the Imps the victory but more important, it stops a run that had seen the Imps lose 3 of the last 4 games.

City started the game but Hartlepool were quickly on the attack and within a minute, they had broken through the City defence but fortunately for the Imps, Joel Porter hadn’t brought his shooting boots and shot straight at Marriott who just had to hold his hands out. A last ditch tackle from Beevers again stopped Hartlepool breaking through one-on-one. Hughes was adjudged to be offside when Amoo’s double cross saw Hughes stray into an offside position.

Porter again wasted a great opportunity for the visitors. He again broke through one-on-one but somehow managed to chip the ball over Marriott and out for a throw in when it seemed almost impossible that he wouldn’t score. A minute later and the Australian hit the ball well over from 3 yards out.

City finally went on the attack and Mark Stallard really should have done better when he found himself unmarked as he sent a header wide of the goal with the goal wide open. Hughes then tried a spectacular goal form the edge of the left hand side of the area but he shot well into the crowd. Within a minute and Beevers again stopped a run through on goal. The luckless Porter then prevented his side from taking the line when a Clark header flew straight into his face and went out for a goal-kick.

Beevers’ header was easily claimed by the tall Konstantopolous but he was untroubled a few minutes later when Stallard shot well over from 25 yards. Play was then stopped as Darren Williams was injured in a challenge with Kerr, he was then replaced by the long serving Hartlepool player, Micky Barron. A few minutes later and Barron was at the centre of a match turning moment.

Mark Stallard had the ball in midfield, he looked up and noticed Forrester running in behind Barron and Nelson and despite being on the corner of the box, sent a shot back across goal and it went out the out-stretched arms of Konstantopolous and nestled in at the far post to give the Imps the lead, the first time City have scored the first goal in a game since the Macclesfield Town game, the last home game that the Imps had won.

Frecklington could have doubled the Imps lead but he shot over from Hughes’ knock down. Frecklington again came close to scoring but a last ditch save from former Bury defender, Michael Nelson stopped him getting a free run on goals. That was the final incident of the first half.

The second half started slowly but after 6 minutes, there was a huge talking point as Jamie Forrester rounded Konstantopolous but then ran into the goalkeeper and with City fans shouting for a penalty, the referee pointed for a goal kick, something that confused City fans as half the crowd cheered, thinking the Imps had been awarded a penalty but then got annoyed when they realised it was just a goal-kick.

Forrester again rounded Konstantopolous a minute later when the keeper failed to react to a weak Nelson back-pass and Forrester crept in, however, he couldn’t take advantage as he hit the ball wide with the Hartlepool keeper shouting at his defence for the mix-up that almost cost his side a second goal.

Matty Robson picked up the ball after Eaden pulled out of a tackle and he ran the length of the pitch before shooting well over from 20 yards. Eaden did however do something decent a minute later when he and Amoo combined well before the on-loan Nottingham Forest defender sent a cross deep into the box. It found it’s way to an unmarked Jeff Hughes who had the simple task of tapping the ball past Konstantopolous who didn’t even move. City were now sitting on a comfortable league but unlike in the past, the Imps didn’t rest on it and went in search of many more goals.

City had another unrealistic penalty claim a minute later when Mayo’s cross hit Brackstone’s arm from point blank range. Foley and Bullock replaced Porter and Boland for the visitors. Forrester tried his luck from 40 yards but Konstantopolous recovered after an initial slip. Marriott then had something to do for the first time in a long time when he superbly blocked Matty Robson’s goalbound effort. A few minutes later and he was again there to make a good save, this time from Nelson. The defender again brought the best out of Marriott a minute later when the keeper acrobatically kept out Nelson’s header.

The game went really quiet but in the 2nd minute of added on time, Barron cleared the ball off the line from a Stallard effort but it didn’t make a difference as City made it 3 wins from 3 night games this season.

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