The points were shared at the LNER Stadium, as Ethan Hamilton scored a fantastic goal to equalise for Lincoln City against a tough Carlisle United side.
Mark Kennedy was without top scorer Danny Mandriou for the visit of Carlisle, as Ted Bishop took his place in a front three that was also without Tyler Walker and Ben House. Lincoln were looking to extend their seven game unbeaten run, with their only blemish so far this season being the opening day defeat at Bolton Wanderers.
The Cumbrians’ form wasn’t as promising as their host’s, as they came into the game at the LNER Stadium having scored only six goals in their nine games this season. However, Paul Simpson’s side made the trip to Lincolnshire off the back of an uptick in form, having picked up a win and an impressive draw at table-topping Stevenage in their last two outings.
Before kick-off, a minute’s silence was impeccably observed for lifelong Imps fan Doreen Ashton, who recently passed away.
First-Half
The first-half started with Carlisle United on the front-foot, creating a number of chances down the Lincoln City left, targeting Jack Buroughs and Sean Roughan.
Sean Maguire had a shot saved in the first minute as the visitors flew out of the traps. As the clock ticked past ten minutes, the home side made the game a more even contest. Captain Paudie O’Connor went closest as he headed a Roughan long throw onto the roof of the net.
It was then a Roughan foul that led to the opening goal, as on 18 minutes Owen Moxon crossed in a free-kick from the Lincoln left to meet the foot of Luke Plange.
The former Imps loanee deflected the ball past Lukas Jensen to send the travelling Blues fans into rapturous celebration.
After the goal, the Imps began to keep hold of the ball. However, their possession struggled to reach the final third. The only effort of note was a Jack Burroughs shot, after a give-and-go with Reeco Hackett, that was saved by Jokull Andresson.
Carlisle continued to create as Plange almost got on the end of a Maguire cross and the latter forced Jensen to make another save just after the half hour mark.
As the half came to a close, Alistair Smith had a long-shot saved well by Andresson, as he got down low to his left.
Then, a moment of contention just before the interval as Sean Maguire went down in the box under pressure from Jack Burroughs. It looked like a penalty, with the Lincoln loanee barging into the back of Maguire, but referee Tom Nield emphatically waved away the Carlisle appeals.
Throughout the half, the Blues were the better side, creating chance after chance and causing constant worry for Burroughs and Roughan.
In uncharacteristic fashion, Lincoln were struggling to make it into the final-third on the counter-attack and were repeatedly giving the ball away in midfield. Mark Kennedy would be hoping his side could correct course after the break.
Second-Half
A moment of magic brought Lincoln City level. Less than five minutes into the half, Ethan Hamilton struck the ball from around 25 yards out and perfectly found the bottom corner. Andresson’s dive was in vain, as there was no stopping Hamilton’s thunderous effort.
Mark Kennedy’s half time words must’ve done the trick as Lincoln took charge of the game. Surprise half-time substitute Hakeeb Adelakun returned for the Imps and got through on goal twice, but was offside both times.
Ted Bishop and Reeco Hackett linked up well, and the former should’ve given Lincoln the lead as he shot from the edge of the box.
However, just before Bishop’s shot, Owen Moxon had a superb chance to reinstate the Carlisle lead as the ball was pulled back from the by-line right into his path. His shot could only sting the palms of Jensen.
Prior to the 60th minute, the Imps continued to pill on the pressure. Ethan Erhahon blazed a long-shot into the Stacey West Stand and Hamilton hooked a ball across the six-yard box, but no-one could get a decisive touch on it.
The game became scrappier after the hour mark as neither side could find the quality needed to take the lead.
Bookings began to add up as Luke Plange and Joe Garner went into the book a few minutes apart. In the 76th minute, Dylan Duffy and Jon Mellish were involved in an altercation inside the Carlisle box that saw them both pick up a yellow card.
As the game entered the last ten minutes, Hamilton almost added his and Lincoln’s second. He bent a long-range free-kick just wide of the post.
After 85 minutes, Sam Lavelle picked up the Cumbrian’s fourth yellow card, as the referee cautioned him for time wasting. He almost made amends a minute later as he nodded a header just over the bar from a dangerous corner.
There was time for another Carlisle booking as Moxon was caught for a heavy tackle on Erhahon.
Adelakun almost made the perfect return as he cut inside and took aim from just outside the box, but his shot was blocked by a man in blue.
Lincoln remained in the ascendancy as the game entered seven minutes of injury time. Duffy curled an effort over the bar and Adelakun danced his way into the box as the Imps piled on late pressure. However, Carlisle managed to hang on and take home a well-deserved point.
Lincoln City 1-1 Carlisle United
Both teams were forced to settle for a point at full time as Ethan Hamilton spectacularly cancelled out Luke Plange’s first-half goal.
A sharing of the points was probably the farest result as Carlisle United had the better of the first half and Lincoln City the lion’s share of the second.
The Blues could feel aggrieved that they didn’t receive a penalty just before the half-time break, but Mark Kennedy’s side produced a great display in the second-half that almost saw them clinch all three points.
After the game, Mark Kennedy said: “What has hurt us is the bad news with injury, it wasn’t the product of our week’s training or anything that we were missing.” He thought his side coped very well with the three forwards out injured in House, Walker and Mandroiu.
He added: “In the first half were we very nervous. I explained at half time that there was a little anxiety around the ground is because of the expectations they have set and raised.”
With today’s result, Lincoln extended their unbeaten run to eight games in all competitions.