The pattern continued after the restart with City again asking the early questions. Oné danced into the area early in the second half, but his shot was blocked behind for a corner. The striker soon threatened again, Whitworth saving well before Sweeney threw himself in front of Moylan’s follow-up effort.
Exeter should have been dead and buried by 60 minutes, but after Matt Taylor opted to change things with a triple substitution, introducing Danny Andrew, Akeel Higgins and Reece Cole, they began to look a little more composed. Andrew and Cole are widely considered first team choices, both coming back from spells out of the side.
Despite that change, Lincoln continued to look dangerous, but Exeter began to claw back some control. House rose to meet a delivery and saw his header cleared off the line as the Imps searched for a second.
City then made changes. With a gruelling encounter at Cardiff just gone, and promotion hopefuls Stockport at the Bank this weekend, Skubala shuffled the pack. On came Dom Jefferies, Ryley Towler and Reeco Hackett, with House, Oné and Moylan making way.
Magennis had Exeter’s best chance to level when he met a Sweeney cross, though from a difficult angle he could only find the side netting. Wareham later headed over from another delivery as the Grecians tried to apply late pressure.
The hosts threw men forward in the closing stages and Carlos Mendes Gomes was introduced to add pace to the attack. The substitute quickly made an impact, slipping Ilmari Niskanen in behind, the Finn fizzing a cross across goal that Wareham could not quite turn home.
Six minutes of added time followed, and Exeter continued to pump balls into the area. City brought on Deji Elerewe for his debut, helping to stem the onslaught as the Grecians piled forward. Alfie Lloyd entered the fray as well, fresh legs in place of the hard-working Street. Time and again, City headed balls away, with Bradley making clearance after clearance with his head.
In the dying seconds, Reece Cole could not quite bring a bouncing ball under control in a promising position, and Lincoln’s defenders stood firm, clearing repeated crosses as the clock ticked down. Lloyd picked up the ball and ran into a corner, and by the time he’d been dispossessed, Brook blew the whistle to end the game, but not the spectacle.
As our players celebrated, a melee broke out on the field. It’s always Exeter, isn’t it? Play-offs in 2018, last season with their coaching staff getting reds, it always seems to kick off at Exeter. Brook stood to one side, blowing his whistle as the scrum of players and officials made their way around the pitch. Jefferies and Magennis were booked, many others were probably fortunate not to be. Tom Shaw was right in the thick of it as well. All for one, one for all.
Once that settled down, Imps players would likely have received the news that Cardiff could only draw with Barnsley, 1-1, meaning we end the night four points clear at the top of the table, 13 points clear of Bolton and 23 points clear of Reading in the final play-off spot.
It wasn’t a pretty win, and for long spells it felt like it might go against us, as in we might end up conceding when we should have been 3-0 up just after half-time. Not sure fans should have been worried, City have only conceded three goals in the last ten matches. Promotions are won and lost not just on big stages with impressive goals, but also on war-like evenings in driving rain, hundreds of miles from home, fighting hostility in the stands, and scrapping for a 1-0 win.
Are titles won the same way? They might be, they might just be.
The promotion push rolls on, and with ten games left, Lincoln City are in the driving seat. The club are on course for a return to the third tier for the first time since 1961, and a promotion to the third tier for the first time in 74 years. History is being made in front of our eyes.
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