City started the game and carved out the first oppurunity just after a minute when Cryan put in a great cross into the area and Birch headed the ball goalwards but former Hartlepool and Grimsby 'keeper, Anthony Williams produced a fine save to give the Imps a quick corner but as usual, the distribution was shocking and Carlisle easily cleared. City were slightly in control of the match and created one or two half chances in the first 10 minutes but all efforts came to nothing.

City gained 3 quickfire corners in the 13th minute and the first two were dealt with for other corners and then on the final one, Nat Brown connected on the volley with the ball but Williams managed to keep hold of the ball and Carlisle began their first attack of the game, but Paul Simpson's long ranger went well over the bar.

The closest Carlisle came to a shot on target during the opening thirty minutes, came in the 22nd minute. Morgan was penalised for a foul on Karl Hawley to concede a free-kick. Carlisle's player-manager Paul Simpson tried to shoot direct from the free-kick but his shot was blocked before it could reach the Lincoln goal.

The game was too and fro as neither side looked like they wanted to take the lead. City were mainly in posession but to say City's shooting boots weren't on is an understatement. Marvin Robinson had arguably the best of City's first half chances but instead of controlling the ball from 6 yards out, he decided to try an overhead kick, which went straight into Williams' arms.

Carlisle's best of the few attacks they had in the first half, almost saw them take the lead. Adam Murray delivered the ball from a corner and the ball fell to Aranalde who hit the post with his resultant shot. Murray then doubled Carlisle's shots-on-goal statistics when he shot wide from distance.

The biggest moment of the half came in the 44th minute when Robinson was brought down by 2 Carlisle defenders in the area, however, the referee quite literally wasn't looking and didn't give the penalty (or ask his assistant).

The second half was near enough exactly the same as the first. Asamoah had the first decent chance of the half but he pulled his shot high over the bar and the slow half continued with several Carlisle breaks that came to nothing. Chances were very few and far between as neither side, other than the odd player, seemed too concerned with the match and several Lincoln players seemed to be sport the classic "Peter Gain : Don't really want to be here" look and attitude to them.

Carlisle should have taken the lead when Peter Murphy provided a cross for Brendan McGill but the midfielder wasted the time and space that he had and he headed well wide. The game was seriously continuing to slow down  and the next decent oppurtunity came 10 minutes from time when a cross came in but Chris Billy belted the ball well over the bar.

Keates had the final oppurtunity in the 89th minute but his free kick from the edge of the area went just over and the game filled out to leave City moving down 1 place in the table, despite a 3rd league game in a row without defeat.

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