By Nathan Jackson
January 28 2006

Gary Birch reminded everyone that there is more than one Lincoln striker who can score by grabbing the winner against Bristol Rovers. City will were lucky to get the win in a game controlled by the visitors and if we do have serious aspirations for the playoffs, there's a lot of improvement needed.

The visitors started the game but within a few seconds, Kerr set up Green to run down the left but the ball went out of play before Green could do anything with it. Rovers went down the other end and Craig Disley, a transfer target for City before joining Rovers, shot well wide from about 20 yards out.

 

Kerr wasted the first corner for the Imps before Rovers had a great chance to open the scoring but with several Bristol Rovers players flinging themselves at the ball, Gareth McAuley stayed calm and cleared the ball. The game turned extremely slow and the only other note-worthy incident from the first 15 minutes was Scott Kerr hitting a second corner straight at the first defender.

 

Bristol Rovers were in control of the game and on the 15 minute mark, Gareth McAuley showed why he’s come under recent criticism when he was faced with a run from Disley, McAuley didn’t even try to get a tackle in and just watched as the former Mansfield favourite just ran straight by him, despite coming within a matter of inches of him.

 

City won a free kick and Steve Robinson stepped up to take it and just like last week against Peterborough, he whipped it into the back post but McAuley headed the ball wide of the net. Bristol Rovers continued to run through a generous looking defence and were centralising their attacks towards Gareth McAuley, who kept on stepping aside, allowing the Rovers players to run through and only the covering McCombe saved City from going behind on several occasions.

 

McCombe had impressed a lot of fans in recent weeks with his highly skilled displays and he denied ex-Imp, Junior Agogo soon afterwards when he got in the way of the striker’s shot from just inside the box. Luck certainly seemed to have luck on their side as Bristol Rovers could have easily been 3 or 4 goals up by this point. What’s this? Is Gareth McAuley actually making an attempt to defend? Surely not? Richard Walker had a great chance to open the scoring for the visitors before Gareth McAuley got in the way of the hot-shot striker’s effort.

 

Sammy Igoe almost opened the scoring from 25 yards but his shot from the rebounded corner, went sailing just over the cross section of the goal frame. Igoe caused the game to be stopped in the 36^th minute when he had a head injury. Kerr did manager to get a corner passed the first defender, however, Marvin Robinson attacked the ball from an offside position, making himself offside.

 

Walker had the final chance of the first half but his chipped effort went well wide and that was the final action of a half that the visitors dominated.

 

City kicked off the second half but just like the first, started the half shockingly. City did however did create the first opportunity when Green crossed the ball in before it was hoofed clear by Christian Edwards, a player who slagged off the Imps for hoofing it earlier in the week, pot, kettle, black, thinking about it Mr Edwards.

 

Agogo should have ended his goal drought soon afterwards when he broke free of the defence and ran into the box but his left footed shot went across the face of goal and out for a goalkick.

 

It was proving to be another slow half but the game started changing when, 11 minutes into the second half, Lee Frecklington replaced Marvin Robinson and Nat Brown moved up front. Brown had City’s next oppurunity when Ollie Ryan chipped the ball up into the six yard box but Brown’s shinned effort went wide of the goal.

 

Agogo should defiantly have taken one of his two quick fire efforts. The first occurred when he burst into the box but delayed his shot until his was close in and Gareth McAuley made a last ditch tackle to deny Agogo. His second came when Ollie Ryan gave the ball away yet again and McCombe made a mistake but leave Agogo one on one with Marriott but Agogo’s lob went wide of the goal.

 

Birch then replaced Nat Brown. Within a minute, Frecklington provided a good pass through the middle for Ryan, the young striker shot and the ball hit goalkeeper, Shearer’s legs, the ball spun in the air and Birch had an easy chance to head in from only a few yards out and he scored his first goal since his opener at Northampton in November.

 

After dominating most of the game, the visitors were now playing desperation stuff and tried to get the ball forward very quickly (in other words, Edwards hoofed the ball a bit more than usual), however, they failed to create any major opportunities. Stirling replaced Ryan and the young striker applauded all the fans, presumably for putting up with him giving the ball away countless times.

 

Lewis Haldane almost equalised with 5 minutes to go but his 30 yard effort went just wide of the net. That was the final decent effort of the game and City held on for an undeserved victory.