By Nathan Jackson
January 27 2007

Lincoln City re-entered the automatic promotion places after Mark Stallard scored the only goal against Peterborough. It was a game where neither side managed many shots on goal, but City capped an impressive second half display with scoring from a set-piece for the first time in a while.

Peterborough kicked off and could have taken the lead within a minute when Low burst forward as he got behind the defence from a Gain cross, but he took his time and ended up blasting the ball well over the bar. Frecklington waste’s a good City chance as the other end as he mishits a shot which Tyler has no trouble gathering. A slow 10 minutes continued as Branston was talked to thoroughly as he dragged Stallard down by the face.

 

Marriott easily claimed a Hyde corner with 12 minutes gone before Frecklington also had the referee talking in his ear for fouling Craig Morgan. 25 minutes had passed before Nat Brown got in the way of his shot. The referee seemed very reluctant to book anyone, despite Peter Gain tackling Paul Mayo at the back of the knee from behind with studs showing.

 

City won 4 very quick succession corners, the 4^th of which almost went directly in before hitting the bar. Craig Morgan wasted Posh’s next opportunity on the 42^nd minute mark, but he again blazed over. From the resulting free kick, the ball found it’s way to McLean and he had a 40 yard run one-on-one with Marriott, when he reached the area however his shot went well wide of the target, which brought a huge sarcastic cheer from the Imps fans.

 

The last chance of the first half came when Frecklington headed goalwards, it was going wide but Tyler decided to make sure by claiming it, and the referee then blew for half time.

 

City were immediately on the attack in the second half, and within 20 seconds of the kick off Amoo was heading wide a Mayo cross. Amoo was involved in the next move as well as his pass went to the feet of Stallard, but the striker couldn’t get it under control before he was tackled.

 

McLean’s 25 yard shot barely bothered Marriott. Gain tried to volley first time when the ball was dipping towards him, but it ballooned over the Imps Stand and into the grounds of the nearby school. The impressive Boyd burst beyond the defence but failed to shoot before Brown recovered to deny him.

 

A Mark Tyler spill from a Frecklington corner failed to see either Stallard or Brown poke it in from close range. Frecklington and Kerr both saw decent efforts blocked before Mayo was denied a goal by the head of Ben Futcher on the line. From the resulting corner, Frecklington played it in and Mark Stallard rose highest to head into the net via a deflection, only the second time so far this calendar year that City have scored the first goal.

 

City now held their heads high and City won another corner. It again found it’s way to Stallard but Branston just managed to get a head to it to prevent another goal. Huke replaced Branston, before Jamie Forrester and Scott Kerr went off for debutants Dany N’Guessan, and Paul Green.

 

Before the game restarted, N’Guessan and Futcher got into a mini-fracas before the referee had words with both, something that was probably lost on N’Guessan as he apparently speaks very little English. Hyde was injured before a corner was taken for City, when the ball was eventually played in Beevers’ sent a header goalwards and yet another goal-line clearance prevented City making it 2-0. Hyde was substituted along with Gain, as Simon Yeo and Gavin Strachen came on for the visitors. Moses went off for Morgan with the game about to enter added on time.

 

Stallard tried his luck from 25 yards but it didn’t trouble Tyler. Posh fans were incensed as they felt Marriott carried a looping shot out of play, and some of their fans threw things in the direction of the linesman. Marriott immediately sent the ball up the pitch, and N’Guessan was left one-on-one with Tyler, but his shot went just wide of the target for the final chance of the game.