Lincoln United faced familiar opposition Worksop Town in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup and looked to create a cup upset by beating a side two divisions above them. However, a red card and three goals by Worksop Town denied that glory.
These sides met in the league last season, but a mix of fortunes throughout the season saw The Whites get relegated, while the visitors enjoyed promotion.
United had seen themselves create an upset in their first round of qualifying when they beat Kidsgrove Athletic, league leaders of the division above, at Ashby Avenue.
First Half:
The opening five minutes saw Worksop have more chances, although Lincoln defended well. A penalty appeal against Callum Foster was quickly waved away by referee Matthew Wright, before Steggles was called for a very impressive one-handed catch from a cross.
The next 15 minutes saw the game flow in a similar way. Both teams played well on the ball, but Worksop seemed more dangerous. They created far more attacks and looked to counter quickly when winning the ball back.
At the 25-minute mark, a nice counter saw Rollins played in behind The Whites’ defence, but a heavy touch forced him wide. A nice cross into a dangerous space was glanced away by Foster, which prevented what would almost certainly have been an opener.
The biggest chance of the first half came from Worksop, just after the 30-minute mark. A cross was directed towards the head of Jay Rollins, who was completely unmarked. However, the winger was unable to direct his headed effort on target from around 6-yards out.
A fantastic save from Jack Steggles somehow kept Lincoln United from conceding five minutes before the half ended. A fantastic pass saw Worksop striker Liam Hughes in behind the defence, and his drilled effort looked certain to end up in the bottom corner. However, Steggles was big, and his outstretched leg denied the hosts.
Overall, the first half saw balance possession, however Lincoln could not threaten the Worksop defence. The Tigers managed to stay on top, and found ways to break down the home side, but were lacking the quality in the final third.
Second-Half:
Steggles was becoming a hero for Lincoln United. Worksop piled on the pressure 10 minutes into the second half, testing the defence more often and taking more shots to trouble the keeper. A curling effort from Hall was saved terrifically by Steggles, as the shot was taken around a set of defenders.
Ted Gibbons was sent off in a somewhat unfortunate event. He went in for an aerial battle and caught defender Deegan Atherton with an elbow. The referee decided it was rash and sent Gibbons for an early shower. The 10 men had a lot to do now.
The sending off brought a different shade over the game. Both teams seemed more fired up, with both teams going in for more challenges, and showing more reaction after the decisions by the referee.
The second half saw Worksop with far more possession than Lincoln. The red card changed the way that Lincoln played, as they had even less opportunities to get forward and prove something in attack. Instead, The Whites were concentrating on defending and doing all they can to stop the opposition from scoring.
Worksop took the lead with 10 minutes to go. Hughes picked up the ball just outside the box and was given the time to take a touch and choose his finish. It was a calmly taken shot and was just out of Steggles’ reach. It looked a long way back for the hosts already.
Jay Rollins scored the second with just over five minutes to go. Steggles did well to react to the first shot, but his save was parried into the direction of Rollins, who, from close range, just needed to direct his effort on target to place it in the back of the net. That made it 0-2 and seemed to be game over.
It looked like things were going from bad to worse for Lincoln as Worksop were awarded a penalty, just a few minutes from the end of the game. Hughes was tripped in the box by Smith, and the referee had no choice but to point to the spot. Although Hughes beat Steggles, the goal was not allowed, which caused much confusion for both the players and fans.
Hughes made up for it with a fantastic bicycle kick! A cross came into the box, and an unmarked Liam Hughes had time to finish the game off in a fantastic way. The finish was sublime, with the striker acrobatically connecting with the ball, leaving no chance for Jack Steggles.
Lincoln United 0-3 Worksop Town
Lincoln United’s FA Cup run came to an end when the referee blew for full time. The Whites never truly showed any threat in attack, and Worksop would have felt it was only a matter of time for them to score. After they scored their first, they showed no sign of stopping.
Next up for Lincoln United, a home tie to Newark Town in the FA Vase next Saturday.