By theimps.tk
March 29 2006

The Imps slipped out of the playoffs on goal difference after a poor performance against League leaders, Carlisle. The Imps were hardly overwhelmed by supposedly the best team in the division unlike the Imps, Carlisle finished one of the very few chances they had and the game finished 1-0.

Carlisle started the game and won a corner within 30 seconds of the start when Aranalde's cross was cleared out by Cryan but the Imps were able to cope easily with the weak corner and went on the break themselves but that quickly ended as Green ran the ball out of play. City won their first corner when Robinson's cross was headed clear but Kerr's corner was weak and Westwood claimed easily.

Paul Arnison then set up Michael Bridges with 6 minutes gone but the former Leeds striker could only direct his straight at Marriott. Luke Foster was rewarded for his performance on Saturday with a start and justified that when he made an excellent, well timed challenge to stop Karl Hawley running through on goal. Green took the ball down the wing but his bad start to the game continued and his cross went straight out for a corner.

It looked as though Carlisle had scored in the 18th minute when Bridges' shot from the edge of the area sailed over Marriott but didn't dip at the right time and hit the bar. It would have been a beauty of a goal though it it had gone in. Holmes wasted a chance for the hosts when he headed Peter Murphy's corner out.

The pre-match down pour meant that pitch was in quite poor condition and Jamie McCombe would have given the Imps the lead if the pitch had been dry and he slipped just before connecting with Cryan's cross just in front of the goalmouth. Green won a corner for the Imps but Scott Kerr, in true Lincoln City style, kicked it straight at the first defender and it was easiley cleared.

What's this, has Scott Kerr actually managed to kick a ball over the first defender? For the first time in the match he actually managed to do it and it almost lead to a goal for the Imps as Foster flicked it goalwards but only a last ditch save from Westwood prevented the Imps from taking the lead. Robinson wasted yet another chance for the Imps when he headed the ball over from close range after Green sent in a high cross. If Robinson had taken his time and realised he was unmarked, the Imps might have gone into the half time interval 1-0 up but the half ended goalless.

Bridges almost gave Carlisle an immediate lead in the second half when his 25 yard drive went just over the bar within the first minute of the half. Kerr actually managed to beat the defender again but his free kick was headed well over by Robinson. Robinson came ever so close to giving the Imps the lead with 5 minutes of the half gone when he broke free into the Carlisle box and sent a curling shot towards the far post but the ball, much like Bridges' effort in the first half, dipped dip in time and hit the bar for what would turn out to be the Imps only decent chance in the game.

Foster was booked for fouling Arnison which brought sarcastic cheers from the home supporters after Foster had appeared to be manhandling the midfielder for a long time. Then came a curious moment that happened for no apparant reason. Franny Green, who had not been at his best, was brought off, but who would come on in his place? Leading goalscroer Gary Birch? Midfield maestro Steve Robinson or even burly Scot, Martin Gritton? Nope, they were all ignored as youth team player, Tom Wilkinson came on for the Imps and it ultimately turned to be the turning point in the match.

It was turning out to be a long half but Carlisle got revenge on Foster as Lumsdon fouled him and caused the former Sheffield Wednesday man to hold his back in agony. With 15 minutes of an agonisingly poor game to go, a long ball forward from the Carlisle defence (and definatly not the first one they had done) found Bridges, who appeared to be in an offside position. He ran towards the goal but appeared to have wasted the chance when Marriott got a hand on the ball but Bridges managed to get a shot away and past the despairing lunge of Cryan on the line and made it 1-0 to Carlisle with their first real effort of the second half.

Leading goalscorer, Gary Birch was brought on with 10 minutes to go as the Imps reverted to a 4-2-4 formation but his header from a Kerr corner was easily clear of the line. Foster was still hurting from the tackle 20 minutes earlier and he was finally replaced by Jude Stirling. Jude's first involvement was to throw a ball from around the half way line to inside the penalty box but Kerr's knock down meant nothing as a foul was judged.

City did have the ball in the net with only a few minutes to go when good work from Beevers released Robinson, however, he was judged to be offside before crossing to Birch who was also in an offside position and despite tapping it into the net, the goal was disallowed for an obvious offside. The game entered 3 minutes of injury time.

2 minutes into the time added on and something off happened. What's this? Surely not, surely Wilkinson hasn't finally just touched the ball? Bloody hell, he has, amazing, only 35 minutes after coming on the pitch, he gets his first touch on the ball. He passed the ball to Birch on the edge of the area, Birch flicked it up for himself and turned on the volley but his shot went just wide and that turned out to be the last chance of a poor game between 2 poor sides.