Lincoln win to ease pressure on Simpson

Lincoln City recorded a much needed win over bottom of the table Telford to ease pressure on manager Gary Simpson.

Second half goals from Sean Newton and Ben Tomlinson were enough to secure a two nil win.

Newton opened the scoring from the spot after Jon Nolan was brought down in the area.

Tomlinson doubled the lead as he rifled in after Telford failed to deal with a Tom Miller long throw.

Telford offered little in the way of a fight back and it was Lincoln who created the best chances late on as Miller hit the bar.

The league’s basement side Telford started the game brightly with Sean Clancy’s dangerous ball into the box which proving too hot to handle for Nick Townsend.

However, it didn’t take Lincoln long to get into the match, testing their opposition as the ball fell to Nat Brown in the box from a corner.

The defender scuffed his shot, which summed up a disappointing first half for the Imps.

Ben Tomlinson was quiet for the majority of the half, but did provide a burst of pace and beat two defenders before teeing up Sam-Yorke, who again, was unable to get a clean shot away.

The Imps’ best chance of the half came when Jon Nolan was challenged just outside the box leaving former Telford player, Sean Newton to take the free-kick.

The left-back failed to convert the chance, with the ball hitting the wall and going behind for a corner.

Telford struggled to get forward and when a chance did fall to them, Andy Todd, shot straight at Townsend.

Lincoln finished the first-half strongly, with Nat Brown finding himself with the ball in Telford’s box once again, and after some neat work, the centre-back struck a shot which trickled past the far post.

Half time: Lincoln 0-0 Telford.

Telford started the half the brighter of the two sides, forcing Townsend to make a double save, first from a long-range effort by Sam Smith, followed by another from Phenix.

After Lincoln weathered the early storm, they took the game to Telford.

A smart ball over the top of Telford’s defence by Mendy saw Tomlinson and Nolan combine, with the the latter bursting into the box, only to be cut-down by Phenix.

No discussions that it was a penalty, and it was left to Sean Newton to take.

The defender, who made over 100 appearances for his former club, powerfully slotted the ball in the left corner despite Hedge getting a hand to it.

Lincoln had to build on their lead, as Telford still looked dangerous on the break.

The Imps almost made it 2-0 after fantastic work on the left by Tomlinson set-up Sam-Yorke, but the striker was unable to convert with Hedge making a low save.

However, Lincoln City fans didn’t have to wait long for a second goal.

A long throw-in by Miller found its way to Tomlinson at the far post and the wide-man made no mistake, smashing the ball in the corner.

With the match as good as over, Lincoln looked for more goals, with Miller heading against the bar.

– By Danyal Khan

Defender Sean Newton;

“Scoring feels nice, but I’d have took having a bad game and us winning and it was one of those games today where I’d give anything for the team that wins, it is all that matters.

“We had a point to prove today. There’s all kinds of rumours going around about the dressing room not being behind the manager and the players aren’t together and I think that performance today but that all to bed.

“From one to eleven, everyone was closing down, winning headers, winning tackles, even the gaffer on the side was going mad.

“We’re all in it together and I think it showed with the performance.”

Player ratings

• Nick Townsend – 7. After a shaky start, Townsend had a much more convincing second half, making an impressive double save.
• Tom Miller – 7. Miller was caught out a few times against Clancy, however he provided the Imps with an outlet on the right-wing.
• Nat Brown – 9. The centre-back was impressive. He was a danger in the opposition’s box and was unlucky not to score, as well as leading the defence with some fine headers. (LincSport Man of the Match)
• Tom Anderson – 7. The defender, on loan from Burnley, was solid against a stubborn Telford side.
• Sean Newton – 8. Lincoln’s left-back was powerful down the left-wing and importantly scored a penalty in a decisive time for the home side.
• Jon Nolan – 7. The midfielder was instrumental in winning the penalty for Lincoln and helped his side close the game out in the final stages.
• Arnaud Mendy – 6. An inconsistent performance by the midfielder, who did make a number of key passes.
• Karl Ledsham – 6. A solid performance by the midfielder but didn’t have a big overall impact on the game.
• Ben Tomlinson – 8. Tomlinson was impressive. His finish was sublime and he was unlucky not to pick up an assist after putting the ball on a plate for Sam-Yorke.
• Delano Sam-Yorke – 6. The striker will feel frustrated he didn’t score today. He had numerous chances which he couldn’t put away, but he made up for it by holding up the ball brilliantly at times.
• Jordan Burrow – 6. The wide-man was quite ineffective for the majority of the game, as the Imps attacked much more through Newton and Tomlinson.