It was love at first sight for City fans back in 2006, as the Imps staged a remarkable fightback at Underhill.
Having been poor in the opening exchanges, Keith’s men found themselves recovering from two goals down to claim a dramatic 3–2 win over Barnet—and with it, their first-ever victory at the North London ground.
It was a game that had everything: defensive errors, missed sitters, late drama, and a super-sub sealing the points. For the third time in four games, it was Gary Birch who emerged as Lincoln’s game-changer, his second-half equaliser sparking the revival before Nat Brown thundered home the winner in the dying moments.
Barnet had raced into a 2–0 lead that looked unassailable given City’s sluggish start and a first half riddled with wasted chances. Adam Birchall linked well with Giuliano Grazioli and the lively Tresor Kandol, who punished Lincoln with a deft lob over Alan Marriott just after the hour mark—adding to an earlier poacher’s finish by Ben Strevens after Marriott had parried into his path.
Before that, Lincoln had carved out golden chances but failed to convert. Simon Yeo fluffed two one-on-ones, Martin Gritton was denied by the goalkeeper after hesitating, and Jeff Hughes saw his influence limited by fatigue from a packed fixture list.
But once McCombe bundled home from a fumbled Flitney catch—via a dangerous Scott Kerr delivery—the momentum began to shift. Birch, on for the misfiring Gritton, took full advantage of a poor clearance from the Barnet stopper, driving a crisp strike into the bottom corner to level the scores.
Then came the winner. Nat Brown, often maligned by sections of the Imps support, silenced critics in style. A poor defensive clearance fell to his feet 25 yards out, and with confidence built from a strong overall display, the midfielder arrowed a low strike into the far corner, sparking scenes of unfiltered joy among the 400 travelling supporters.
City’s first league win from two goals behind since the 3–2 victory over Northampton last season lifts them to 8th in the table, just outside the play-off spots. While defensive concerns remain—particularly in a first half where McCombe and McAuley looked shaky—the fighting spirit displayed in the second period offers hope for the run-in.
Manager Keith Alexander was pleased but remained pragmatic post-match:
“We played some good football and I’d have been disappointed not to get something. We could have been four up after 20 minutes. I told the lads to keep doing what they were doing, and thankfully we got our reward.”
He also had praise for match-winner Brown:
“Nat gets a lot of stick but he’s now got seven or eight goals from midfield this season, and that’s a brilliant contribution.”
Line-up
Lincoln City: Alan Marriott, Colin Cryan, Jamie McCombe, Gareth McAuley, Jeff Hughes, Scott Kerr, Nat Brown, Steve Robinson (Frecklington), Francis Green, Martin Gritton (Birch), Simon Yeo
Goals: McCombe, Birch, Brown
Attendance: Approx. 2,000 (400 Imps supporters)
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