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City annihilate Crewe to progress
By Nathan Jackson August 23 2005
City well and truly cemented a place in the 2nd Round of the Carling Cup with a 5-1 thumping of Championship side, Crewe Alexandrea. In a game that City majoritively controlled, Birch (2), Molango, Robinson and Beevers scored the goals that have set the Imps up with a potential trip to a Prem team

Crewe started the game off and immediatly went on the attack towards the Stacey West end, however, their first chance was horrendously wasted by their front line. It was a quiet opening 5 minutes but then, in the 6th minute, Lee Beevers picked up the ball in midfield and ran goalwards, he remained unchallenged and took a shot from just outside the area and it curled around the goalkeeper and made it 1-0 to the Imps in spectacular fashion.

The game continued to be slow but Crewe made their first decent attack 7 minutes after the goal as the 2 Jones' Steve and Billy, produced good interplay down the right handside before getting a corner after the ball deflected off of Keates, who was making his first start for the Imps. The corner was easily dealt with the corner and continued to soak up the impressive football that the Staffordshire side were playing.

Birch was the next to have an attempt but his close range shot was easily saved by the goalkeeper. Crewe almost gained an equaliser soon afterwards when Lunt floated a free-kick into the box, which Steve Jones tried to head goalwards but it was straight at Marriott. If he'd have left it, it was going in the goal.

Nat Brown was the next Imps' player to have an attempt at goal but his long range effort was heading well wide before it hit Asamoah but the ball trickled slowly towards the goalkeeper who had no trouble in saving the shot.

Beevers almost doubled his tally on the 30th minute when Keates sent a free-kick deep into the box and Beevers headed it powerfully towards the goal but the keeper made an excellent save to deny what would have the "typical" Lincoln goal.

City were now starting to control the game as made it 2-0 in the 35th minute. A scramble on the edge of the box before the ball was flicked into the air and Meheta Molango belted the ball into the net to give the Imps a bit of breathing space.

The game slowed down tremendously, however, Crewe did pull a goal back just before half time after Molango fouled Tonkin. Vaughn sent in a cross to the near post where Richard Walker was waiting and he headed comfortably past Marriott and it was game on.

Crewe emerged for the second half with a different goalkeeper as Gradi tried to get on level terms as Turnball replaced Williams. Crewe should have drawn level 4 minutes into the 2nd half when Walker had time and space from a Lunt corner, but the striker could only hurry his header wide.

It didn't stay close for long though as soon as Nat Brown sent in a deep shot towards the back post, however, Lunt cleared it off the line but the ball fell straight to Gary Birch, who smashed the ball into the net from close range.

3 minutes later and Birch was a bit lucky as he added to his tally. His 25 yard shot appeared to go past the lunging Turnball and the ball hit the post but at an angle that caused it to proceed into the goal and all of a sudden, it was 4-1 and barring a minor miracle, City were through to the next round of the cup.

City were streaming forward in numbers now and it appeared that Crewe players had accepted the inevitable as attack after attack, City looked like scoring. Asamoah, Mologno and Brown all almost added to the tally.

Asamoah and Molango made way for Bacon and Robinson and the latter, immediatly repaid his manager's fate. Kerr sent a deep cross into the box and Robinson, with only his second touch, headed it powerfully past Turnball to make it 5-1 with only a few minutes remaining.

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