By Nathan Jackson
March 11 2006

Keith Alexander's puzzling decision to bring Martin Gritton on didn't work as within 7 minutes, the visitors had 2 goals disallowed and the Imps had gone from 1-0 up thanks to a 30 yard chip from Yeo to be 2-1 down and only a late late Jamie McCombe header saved a point for the Imps.

The Imps kicked off the game and almost opened the scoring within a minute of the kick off. City won a free kick around 30 yards out, Kerr swung the ball in, McCombe flicked it on and Green somehow dragged his shot right across goal and went just wide of the post. It was a good start for the Imps. The visitors won the first corner of the match but it was easily cleared by the Imps to Yeo, the striker ran down the wing before releasing a shot that went just over the upright.

 

Rushden almost scored a comical own goal a few minutes later when Tynan caught a cross but was then tackled by his own defender and the ball was heading in before the defender cleared it with Birch about to pounce. Birch almost created an opportunity for Green but the clever through ball was just a bit too strong for Green and went to Tynan.

 

City had the ball in the net just after the 10 minute mark when Yeo was adjudged to be offside but had already lobbed the ball over Tynan before realising Amy Raynor’s flag was raised. Rushden however did almost open the score soon after. Berry’s shot was tipped over the bar by Marriott and the corner was headed goalwards by Drewe Broughton but Cryan was there to clean off the line. Broughton was showing why Keith Alexander wanted to sign him earlier in the season.

 

The 15 minute mark saw Birch almost score a fantastic goal when he volleyed a ball goalwards that clipped the top of the bar and went out for a goalkick. Broughton quickly went down the other end and almost opened the scoring but a last minute tackle from McAuley prevented a likely goal, however, Gareth McAuley would join his compatriot, Jeff Hughes on the injured list as he limped off in the 22^nd minute and he was replaced by Beevers.

 

After missing several chances, the Imps finally took the lead on the half hour when Kerr tried to run onto Green’s through ball, the midfielder collided with a defender and Tynan clear the ball poorly to Yeo who chipped the ball goalwards from 30 yards and after nearly an eternity, finally entered the net.

 

Yeo was then booked for having a free kick taken at him. Green should have doubled his league tally for the season when he headed Robinson’s corner wide from just 6 yards out. Who remembers a certain game against Argentina in 1986? Who remembers the brilliant clearance from an almost guaranteed goal where he headed the ball out of Gary Linekar’s past whilst under the striker? If you do then you would have been struck with a nostalgic feeling of déjà vu and a defender did the exact same thing to Gary Birch after Robinson’s centre.

 

There was an exact repeat of what happened earlier in the half when Tynan allowed the ball to go under him and into the path of Gary Birch but Tynan recovered just in time to prevent the strikers’ first goal in 3 games.

 

Jackson came on for Stokes at half time but it was the Imps who created the first opportunity of the half when he got behind the Diamond’s defence, however, he took too long and forced himself wide before sending an extremely weak shot goalwards. Frecklington replaced Green for the Imps just 10 minutes into the half and the Imps reverted to a 4-4-2, a formation which the Imps haven’t played for a while. Savage shot wide of the target for the visitors.

 

Yeo’s habit of wasting easy opportunities showed again when he was through 1 on 1 with Tynan, however, he scuffed his shot and it trickled towards the young keeper. John Turner, a player linked with the Imps during the summer replaced Berry. Jackson’s drive from an acute angle was clear by brown but then came the turning point in the game as Gritton replaced Birch for the Imps. Within 30 seconds, the game swung dramatically in the favour of the visitors.

 

Rushden thought they’d equalised on 75 minutes when Jackson tapped the ball in from close range, however, the Imps were saved by Amy Raynor’s offside flag and she was again raising her flag to save the Imps 3 minutes when the ball entered the net again. However, she couldn’t raise for flag with 9 minutes to go when John Turner released a shot from 20 yards after getting past Beevers and Marriott, who always seems to make mistakes against Rushden at home, allowed the ball to slide past him and into the net.

 

It got even worse for City within 2 minutes when the defence fell asleep and Jackson sent a superb volley sailing past Marriott and into the net from the edge of the area. It was a kick in the teeth for the Imps who had been coping relatively easily with the Rushden attack until Gritton made an appearance.

 

City through everyone forward to try and get an equaliser and when Beevers’ shot was blocked, Yeo could only swung a leg and miss the ball completely, he was offside anyway so it wouldn’t have counted. Okunghae replaced Broughton.

 

In the 3^rd minute of injury time, Lee Frecklington collected the ball on the right and sent in a cross which was headed in by Jamie McCombe, it was the first last minute goal the Imps have scored this season and turned out to be the last meaningful touch of the game.