Three goals in seven first half minutes gave Lincoln City a derby day 3-1 win over local rivals Grimsby Town at Sincil Bank.
After a largely uneventful opening, the game sprung into life after the half hour mark when Lee Frecklington volleyed the home side ahead.
Further goals from Matt Green and Scott Wharton soon followed, and a shellshocked Grimsby never looked like recovering despite Ben Davies’ penalty giving their large travelling support something to shout about on the stroke of half time.
And Lincoln managed the second half well, barely giving Grimsby a sniff as they recorded back-to-back wins.
Danny Cowley named an unchanged side to the one that started last week’s win against Chesterfield. It meant no place for Harry Anderson, but James Wilson and Danny Rowe returned to the bench after recent absences.
The sides came out to a deafening noise from a packed out Sincil Bank, but the game took a while to warm up on a bitterly cold March lunchtime. Much of the early stages were played in Grimsby’s half, helped by a strong wind blowing towards James McKeown’s goal, but the ‘keeper wasn’t tested and the closest the Imps came was when Matt Rhead just failed to meet Neal Eardley’s fine first time cross.
The side’s cancelled each other out early on, and the only notable difference was between the two managers. The bearded Danny Cowley, wearing a black coat after being told his blue one clashed with Grimsby’s kit, prowled around his technical area while Mariners boss Michael Jolley, clad in a suit and somehow without a coat until the second half, issued instructions in a much less animated fashion.
It took until the midway point of the half for the first real chance, and it fell Grimsby’s way as they struck the woodwork twice in succession. Andrew Fox’s free kick was headed onto the angle of post and bar by Harry Cardwell, and Martyn Woolford fired the follow up against the post as Lincoln survived by the skin of their teeth.
As the conditions worsened and the snow came down, more chances came with it. Cardwell just failed to meet Reece Hall-Johnson’s cross, before McKeown was first tested when he got down low to parry away Wharton’s shot on the turn.
But the sun re-emerged shortly after the half hour mark, and it shone on Lincoln as the Imps took the lead. It was apt that one of their own scored it against their fiercest rivals. Sam Habergham’s corner wasn’t fully cleared, and the ball fell for Frecklington to neatly volley into the bottom corner from the edge of the box with McKeown unsighted.
The cheers from that goal had barely died down when Lincoln doubled their lead. Frecklington was involved again, a clever backheel setting up Elliott Whitehouse to cross low into the six yard box, where Green tapped home a second.
Grimsby were shellshocked, and Lincoln almost had a third when Whitehouse was denied from close range by Nathan Clarke.
But the third goal wasn’t long in coming. Just seven minutes after taking the lead, Lincoln found themselves three goals to the good when a Habergham corner caused problems again. Grimsby failed to clear again, this time Wharton the beneficiary as he found the bottom corner to put the Imps in dreamland.
If Grimsby were to have any hope of what would be a remarkable comeback, they needed a goal before half time and came close when Clifton forced Ryan Allsop into an acrobatic tip over the bar.
And from the resulting corner, Grimsby gained hope. Whitehouse handled in the box, and Davies slammed home the resulting penalty despite a fingertip from Allsop.
If nothing else, it gave Lincoln something to think about at half time as the Mariners had the last laugh in a frantic end to the first half dominated by Lincoln.
The visitors would have been boosted by having the wind at their backs after half time, and it was they who had the first chance of the second half when Allsop comfortably held Jamille Matt’s angled shot.
But in truth, the second half was mostly played in the middle of the park with few chances for either side – not that that bothered the Lincoln fans one bit.
If Grimsby were to worry their hosts, they needed to take chances like the one which fell their way in the 58th minute. After head tennis on the edge of the box, substitute Gary McSheffrey gained half a yard in the box but blazed over from eight yards.
In not doing so, it buoyed Lincoln and Jordan Williams nearly added a fourth when he danced past a couple of defenders before McKeown’s outstretched right arm denied his effort.
Then, Frecklington sliced off target from range as Lincoln sought to restore their three goal advantage.
Grimsby threatened again when McSheffrey’s wide free kick evaded everybody and drifted narrowly off target, but Grimsby never really looked like erasing their deficit and Lincoln were largely comfortable in managing the game.
Neither goalkeeper was tested in the closing stages as the game petered out into a Lincoln win to earn a comfortable three points for Cowley’s men against their biggest rivals.
Lincoln: Ryan Allsop, Sam Habergham, Elliott Whitehouse, Scott Wharton, Matt Rhead (Ollie Palmer 59), Matt Green (Harry Anderson 65), Jordan Williams, Michael Bostwick, Lee Frecklington (James Wilson 81), Neal Eardley, Alex Woodyard. Subs not used: Paul Farman, Sean Long, Tom Pett, Danny Rowe
Goals: Lee Frecklington (32), Matt Green (34), Scott Wharton (39)
Grimsby: James McKeown, Ben Davies, Nathan Clarke, Danny Collins, James Berrett, Harry Clifton, Harry Cardwell (Gary McSheffrey 46), Andrew Fox, Martyn Woolford (Diauang Jaiyesimi 65), Jamille Matt, Reece Hall-Johnson (Mitch Rose 56). Subs not used: Ben Killip, Zak Mills, Scott Vernon, Siriki Dembele
Goal: Ben Davies (45 pen)
Attendance: 9,774 (1,696 visitors)