By theimps.tk
April 29 2006

Gareth McAuley gave City a 1-0 victory that they didn't deserve but that win moves us in pole position in the playoff race. With results going their way, City are 3 points clear with 1 to play but it was a lucky victory as the goal came from the only chance that the Imps got on target.

City kicked off the game and won a free kick quickly after Robinson was “fouled”, however, Hughes’ delivery wasn’t exactly threatening and the ball was easily clear by the Shrewsbury defender. McMenamin then burst forward for the hosts, giving the Shrews a 3^rd minute corner but just like the Imps, they couldn’t do anything with it and Paul Morgan easily cleared the ball.

 

An Alan Marriott free kick lead to an excellent opportunity for the Imps as Green ran free of the defence but hurried his shot and sent it horribly wide. Mark Stallard had a similar opportunity down at the other end and after getting past a slipping McAuley, he seemed destined to score until he sent his shot well over the bar and into the away fans.

 

Langmead had another shot chance soon afterwards but he shot wide from a corner. Robinson was caught offside for the Imps after brilliant work from Forrester and Kerr. Jamie Tolley almost gave Shrewsbury the lead and the midfielder who likes to score against the Imps every so often, however, his shot was just too high from 30 yards but would have been an absolute beauty if it had gone in but it was a promising start from the hosts who would move just a point behind the Imps if they won.

 

Kerr then “shocked” the crowd by sending his corner crashing into the first defender and soon enough, Shrewsbury had their own but it was headed wide by Burton. McCombe was lucky to escape a booking, or possibly even a sending off when Langmead was running 1 on 1 with Marriott but the defender pulled his shirt to get the ball. Shrewsbury were awarded a free kick but again, it came to nothing.

 

The game went a bit quiet for a while but on the half hour mark, Hughes was fouled by Herd but the defender’s delivery was eventually cleared by the Shrews defence after a scramble around the penalty spot. Burton’s speculative overhead kick from 20 yards went close from going into the goal but went just over the bar. An injury to ex Notts County man, Glyn Hurst saw him replaced by Marco Adaggio in the 33^rd minute.

 

Robinson headed wide from an Imps corner before Brown did the same from a Jeff Hughes cross. The half ended in the quiet manor that had taken over the previous 25 minutes of the half but the Imps learnt that scores were going their way so a win would all but secure a playoff place but we’d have to do better in the second half as we had been 2^nd best in all of the first half.

 

Shrewsbury started the second half well and only a perfectly timed challenge from McCombe prevented Neil Ashton the chance to run one on one with Marriott and the Shrewsbury man would be focal point of the Salop’s next attack as he sent in a cross, however, Marriott was first to the ball. Sagi Burton continued Shrewsbury’s early domination of the second half when he sent a turn and shot on a volley towards goal, however, just life everything before it, it was off target.

 

The game quietened down a bit and with results continuing to go the Imps way, it seemed destined that the Imps would lose but then Nat Brown won a free kick about 30 yards out from goal. Kerr took the free kick and impressive young Shrewsbury keeper, Joe Hart made an error as he came out of his net and McAuley had the simple task of nodding the ball to where Hart was stood originally and the ball slowly entered the net to give City a shock lead with their first chance on target and it sparked mad scenes of celebration as Imps fans realised that if results stayed the same, we’d be going into the final day 3 points head of 8^th place.

 

Shrewsbury won 2 quick fire corners as they looked for an equaliser but both were easily cleared by the Imps defence and as the Shrews threw everyone forward, Scott Kerr almost punished them by getting in the way of a Hart clearance but luckily for the PFA’s Goalkeeper of the Year, the ball bounced in such a way that it was the defence a chance to get back.

 

Shrewsbury had no excuses for not equalising just after McMenamin went off for Evans. They won a corner quickly and after a scramble, the ball fell to Burton just 6 yards out and the goal at his mercy as half the players were still on the ground and if he had hit it on target, it would have been a goal, however, he not only missed the goal, he missed the stand and sent the ball far into the distance and a huge sigh of relief was heard from the Lincoln crowd.

 

Shrewsbury were putting immense pressure on the Imps and Jamie McCombe conceded a free kick on the edge of the box but he would also clear the resulting set piece. Brown got just City’s second shot on target a few minutes later but his shot from 18 yards went straight into the arms of Hart.

 

An odd occurance then happened, the game was in the 87^th minute and Joe Hart, the Shrewsbury goalkeeper was coming up for a corner, I could understand the last minute of injury time but with a potential of nearly 10 minutes to play seemed a bit odd. The corner came to straight to Marriott but the goalkeeper seemingly refused to kick the ball upfield to one of the 3 attackers that had just 1 defender between them and the goal. Marriott did eventually kick it but by then the chance had gone.

 

Frecklington and Mayo came on for Kerr and Robinson but then, 5 minutes of added on time were added and where the hell that came from, I’ll never know, there were no injuries that needed treatments, not a large amount of free kicks or anything, it was a pretty open game so got knows where 5 came from.

 

Robinson was booked for a very late challenge on Ashton. The hosts gained a corner but yet again, Marriott collected it but refused to play it quickly despite Hart being in the Imps box. Then with over a minute of injury time to go, the referee blew for full time and City learnt that results had gone their way and we just need a point against Rochdale to secure the playoffs.