Lincoln City suffered consecutive league defeats for the first time this season as they were defeated 0-1 by Shrewsbury Town in Sky Bet League One action this Tuesday evening.
A first half strike from Shaun Whalley was one of only two Shrewsbury attempts on target, but his finish was enough to ensure the visitors left the LNER stadium with all three points.
Heading into the fixture, Michael Appleton made two changes to his side that suffered a heavy defeat against Sunderland last time out.
Both Harry Anderson and Robbie Gotts dropped to the bench, with Anthony Scully leading the attack from the right and Remy Howarth making his first league start in central midfield.
Shrewsbury, on the other hand, entered the fixture at the opposite end of the table. The Shrews arrived in Lincoln situated 22nd in Sky Bet League One. However, their most recent result saw them overturn league leaders Hull City at the weekend.
Tonight’s fixture marked exactly one week since the two sides last encountered each other. Both teams met in Papa John’s Trophy action last Tuesday, a result which saw Lincoln run out as 4-1 victors.
The first half proved to be an encounter of very few chances.
Neither side were particularly threatening offensively in the early stages and, despite the occasional corner from each team, neither Alex Palmer or Matija Sarkic were troubled.
Ex-Bournemouth defender Charlie Daniels delivered a couple of dangerous corners, likewise Jorge Grant’s deep free-kicks tested the Shrews defence, however, neither keeper was bought into action.
The encounter, which was rather subdued for the opening stages, then began to liven up on the half-hour mark. A succession of heavy challenges were left unpenalised by the referee until a tackle on TJ Eyoma warranted a free-kick and caused a coming together between both sets of players.
The game quickly settled back down, but eight minutes later the visitors took the lead. A lapse in concentration from Lewis Montsma gifted Shaun Whalley with a one on one opportunity as he stole the ball from the feet of the Dutch defender.
The Shrews attacker utilised the vast amount of time he had to sit Palmer down in the Lincoln net, before coolly slotting his side into a 1-0 lead on the 38th minute.
Half-time: 0-1.
Much like the 45 minutes that preceded it, the second half failed to see any side create any clear cut chances.
Lincoln, however, were the only side who seemed to threaten to score with Shrewsbury more than content to protect their slender lead.
The closest the Imps came to levelling the scoring came on the hour mark, as TJ Eyoma’s cut-back was deflected into the path of Remy Howarth whose effort was denied by the post.
Lincoln also had a number of strong penalty shouts. TJ Eyoma went down under the challenge of the Shrewsbury goalkeeper, but the referee awarded a free-kick in the opposite direction.
Lewis Montsma also went down in the box following a coming together from a corner, however, the referee was again uninterested in the claims.
Despite dominating possession for the remainder of the half, Lincoln were unable to break through the resolute Shrewsbury defence and the visitors were able to see out their one-goal lead.
Full Time: 0-1
Despite the result, Lincoln remain fourth in Sky Bet League One; however, they missed the opportunity to climb to the top of the division as Hull City suffered defeat at the hands of Blackpool.
Michael Appleton’s side will now travel to Northampton Town on Saturday with the aim to turn their form around as they prepare to enter the hectic Christmas schedule.
For Shrewsbury, the result is the first time they’ve achieved back-to-back wins in the division this season and they’ve risen to 21st in the table.