– Bronwyn Harding contributed to this report.
After a superb win away at Wrexham, the Imps were gunning for a win over FC Halifax in the FA Cup 4th qualifying round. The Imps’ failure to convert their chances though saw the game end goalless.
The game kicked off with Halifax bursting onto Lincoln with enthusiasm, as they dominated the first few minutes, creating chances as Lincoln’s defence was tested.
In particular, nine minutes in, a corner from Ryan Toulson was passed to Liam Hogen, who shot directly into Paul Farman’s hands.
After ten minutes, Jon Worthington made a reckless tackle against Adam Smith and, as a result, was shown a yellow card. This didn’t go down well with the visiting FC Halifax supporters, who protested against this decision loudly.
Adam Smith took the free kick, crossing the ball in for Gary Mills, who flicked it on to Jamie Taylor. Taylor’s shot at goal was caught by the opposing number one, Matt Glennon.
With 21 minutes on the clock, left-back Peter Gilbert sustained a hamstring injury and walked off the pitch with the medic. Gilbert was replaced by John Nutter three minutes later.
Halifax FC upped the pressure and came very close to scoring when Gary Sneddon’s cross hit the bar.
The Imps also came close to scoring after their only shot of the first half deflected off Halifax’s Liam Hogan onto the post, very nearly resulting in an own goal for the visitors.
David Holdsworth only made one substitution at the break, replacing Connor Robinson with Colin Larkin.
65 minutes in, there was carnage in the Halifax box as Matt Glennon failed to catch David Morgan’s shot and a visiting defender cleared the shot off the back of his goalkeeper.
A strong cross forced Glennon to make a tricky save, while the Lincoln supporters started to get behind their side. Lincoln were beginning to dominate after a lacklustre first half.
John Nutter was given a yellow card for fouling Lee Gregory. The resulting free-kick was taken quickly by Paul Marshall but they were unable to convert the effort into something tangible.
As the final whistle approached, there were efforts from both sides to score, yet neither were successful.
Three minutes of stoppage time were added on, in which David Morgan made a reckless challenge on Ryan Toulson, resulting in an undisputed red card.
The match ended in a goalless draw with the visitors going away the happier of the two sides.
Lincoln City face a trip to the The Shay in the replay against Halifax FC on Tuesday, October 23rd at 7.45pm.
Player ratings
Paul Farman – 7
Saved some tricky shots, yet there were some hair-raising moments.
Peter Bore – 5
Intercepted some good shots, yet at times was lacklustre in his defensive duties.
Andrew Boyce – 5
Never truly got into the full flow of the game, looked off the pace.
Tom Miller – 7
The Linc Sport Man of the Match. Made some decent chances and forced Halifax back at times.
Peter Gilbert – Unrated due to injury
Gary Mills – 7
Provided a good offensive outlet and was a key player for the Imps
Dan Gray – 5
Wasn’t on form in this match, though didn’t make any mistakes.
Adam Smith – 6
Made an enthusiastic effort and was an integral part of the team.
Nicky Nicolau – 6
Put in a good performance. Made some solid tackles and was a substantive part of the team.
Jamie Taylor – 7
Set up multiple shots and worried the Halifax defence at times.
Connor Robinson – 5
Wasn’t up to his usual standard.