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City finally win away down in Essex
By Nathan Jackson
February 24 2004
Lincoln have finally won away and are now quickly climbing the table after dominating the game down in Southend but the game had 3 turning points in the space of the 80th and 81st minutes.
173 City fans made their way down to Essex to hopefully see the Imps win away for the first time this season. New signing Francis Green started on the bench as Keith Alexander keeped the same team from the BORE draw against Leyton Orient. He replaced Adam Kerley on the bench.

City started extremely brightly shooting towards the end holding the City fans. Richard Butcher and Peter Gain wasted good oppurtunities early on. City got a free kick 25 yards out and Bailey stepped up and it only barely went wide. It was like watching the corresponding game from last season all over again. City gained a corner but header from Futcher was palmed over. This time, Mayo played the ball short to Bailey, who cross to Richardson who headed in for his first (allowed) goal for the Imps. This sent the small crowd of Imps fans into raptures. City continued to press forward with Richard Butcher shooting very narrowly over the bar from about 20 yards. Southend failed to get a single shot on target during the first half.

The 2nd half started the reverse of the first with Southend piling on all the pressure but they couldn't get past the Imp's rear-guard which had gone 3 games without conceeding a goal and looked like extending that run.

Mayo's free kick was then headed over by Gain. Then came the most irratic 2 minutes I've ever seen in football. Mark Bailey surged down the wing and crossed in the ball. The keeper came out but Cropper managed to head it back out of the area to Yeo who had the whole goal at his becking call but his shot sailed into the top-tier of the Southend stand. From the resulting goal kick, a very long ball down the pitch say Damien Jupp run into the area where he was brought down by Morgan and a penalty was awarded. Jupp took the penalty himself but Marriott pulled off a marvelous save and didn't even have a chance to get up before every single CIty player jumped ontop of him. City cleared the corner and ran 5 on 2 on the Southend defence. Bailey laid it into Butcher path who hit a thunderbolt from 30 yards which sailed straight into the goal to provoke pure delirium amoungst fans and players alike. Soon after, Cropper had a chance to make it 3 but his shot from 6 yards went narrowly wide.

The game ended and City had gone up 4 places in the table to 16th. City have now gone 4 games without defeat, having not conceeded a single goal in that time. City finally seem to be getting back to the form of last season and if results go City's way on Saturday, the Imps could go to 9th in the table.

Other results

Cheltenham 0 Oxford 0
Doncaster 0 Yeovil 1
Kidderminster 0 Scunny 2
Leyton Orient 1 Hull 1
Mansfield 5 Bury 3
Northampton 2 Carlisle 0
Rochdale 1 Huddersfield 1
Southend 0 City 2
Swansea 3 Macclesfield 0
Torquay 2 Bristol Rovers 1
York 1 Darlington 1

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