Lincoln United fall to defeat for the second this week after a 0-1 loss to local rivals Sleaford Town at Ashby Avenue.
The Whites came into Saturdays match against Sleaford Town second in the league, dropping down from the top spot following their midweek loss against title rivals Sherwood Colliery.
The visitors Sleaford Town came into the match sitting midtable, however they did have two games in hand over most of the league which could push them towards the playoffs.
First-half:
The match started off fast with both teams creating chances within the opening minutes. However, neither being able to find the opener.
Sleaford Town turned the quick start into some momentum and started piling the pressure on the Whites, but some well organised defending managed to keep them at bay for the beginning of the first-half.
At the half an hour mark the game remained goalless. Despite it being end to end for the majority of the first half-hour, neither team managed to put their side ahead due to a solid defensive performance from both sides.
In the 35th minute the Whites captain Callum Foster gave away a free kick in a dangerous position at the edge of the box. Luckily for the Whites, the free kick was over hit and caused no problem for goalkeeper Jack Steggles.
As the first-half drew to an end for the Whites where appealed for a penalty as it looked like Elliott Dye was brought down in the box, but no penalty was awarded by the referee.
Both teams entered half time without a goal. Sleaford Town looked like the better side, but both teams defended well during the first half with only a handful of major chances falling for either team.
Second-half:
Sleaford started the second-half on the front foot and almost converted this into a goal when Kallum Smith lost the ball in his own half. A good passing move from the visitors almost ended in a goal, but the shot was dragged just wide.
Five minutes into the second half, Ted Gibbons went down with an injury after a big collision with a Sleaford player forced him to take 30 seconds off the pitch. It momentarily left the White with only ten men on the pitch.
In the 57th minute, the Whites had a huge opportunity to score, following a cross by Tobias Liversidge. It caused problems, but after a scrappy couple moments and a goal line clearance the Whites couldn’t convert.
Not even five minutes later Elliott Dye picked up the ball and used some quick feet to beat a couple of players to give himself space to shoot from a long way out. The shot had beaten the keeper, but he was unlucky to be denied by hitting the bar.
With less than 20 minutes to go Sleaford Town found an opener, as Ryan Lennon took the ball round the keeper following a defensive error by the Whites.
A couple minutes later play stops as Billy Brooks suffered a serious injury, pausing the game and being forced to come off.
The Whites started to put some pressure on Sleaford and managed to win a free kick on the edge of the box, but it was fairly simple for the visiting goalkeeper as it was hit straight at him.
Frustration was showing as towards the end of regular time as the game started to get heated. The full-time whistle blew and was greeted with a massive cheer from the travelling Sleaford’s fans and their bench at the end of a huge win for Lincolnshire side.
Lincoln United 0-1 Sleaford Town:
Overall, it was a disappointing day for the Whites, who lost their second game in a row for the first time this season. It keeps them in second, despite still having a game in hand on league-leaders Sherwood Colliery.
The Whites were also unfortunate to sustain two injuries, with Ted Gibbons and the man that came on to replace him, Billy Brooks, picking up knocks. Former Lincoln City youngster Brooks looked to have a serious injury, but he was able to walk off the pitch on his own feet.