By theimps.tk
August 10 2009

Lincoln City won against Barnet on Saturday but Janos Kovacs' second half opener came after a terrible first half display. The Imps won on the opening day for the first time since 2004 and at home on a Saturday for the first time in a week short of ten months. The first game of the season is always a strange occasion, in a way it's still like a pre-season friendly, a game which doesn't really matter as you've still got ages to turn everything around, gel a side and have a decent shot at a good season. However, by the first half performance at Sincil Bank, you'd be forgiven for thinking that it was an actual friendly, such was the style of City's casual approach that allowed Barnet to dominate long spells of the first half.

City were the first to break with Connor's effort forcing a corner, Jamie Clarke heading the resulting effort over. Infact the Imps did generally control the opening stages as Aaron Brown and Chris Fagan linked up well, only for the latter to slice his 20 yard effort wide of the mark. That was about as good as it got for City in the first half though as Jarrett forced two corners for the visitors, Yakubu shooting over from just inside the area.

Barnet were now camped in City's half but not really getting anywhere near the City goal. Oakes was booked for a foul on the tricky Jarrett before a brilliant save from Burch denied Yannick Bolasie at close range. Burch blocked the resulting corner before Kovacs got in the way of a Bolasie effort. Hughes hit the top of the net from distances before a rare City attack saw Jamie Clarke shoot straight at Cole from the angle.

Swaibu was the next in the book for a foul on Bolasie but Jarrett's free kick was easily caught by Burch. Fagan failed to connect with a cross along the ground and that was the final incident of a first half where City looked like the pre-season antipation of midtable was going to come true.

The Imps could have had a penalty within a minute of the second half beginning as Kovacs appeared to be held down in the area, only for Kettle to wave away the appeals, but it wasn't long before Janos did have a telling on the match. An Oakes free kick saw Kovacs go up for the ball with Cole, the keeper missing it and the header going against the post, the Hungarian pouncing on the rebound to score from a difficult angle to give City what was an undeserved lead.

Lincoln started to boss the game but the brutal defending of Barnet was certainly leaving it's mark, Hughes seeing a yellow card for a foul on Fagan just minutes before Connor just failed hit the target. Rene Hone came on just after the hour, replacing the disappointing Fagan.

Barnet had quite clearly been told to try and injure as many Imps as they could, Bolasie completed yet another heavy tackle as he left his foot in when challenging Burch. Kovacs was booked for a foul on Adomah before Oakes was replaced by Clarke. Connor hit a few efforts over and wide of the target but the Imps didn't have to worry as Barnet couldn't find an equaliser and City won for the first time on the opening day in five years.

City win a game of two halves.

Discussion started by theimps.tk (IP Logged), 10/08/2009 00:44

theimps.tk
10/08/2009 00:44

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