Lincoln City made it a club-record 20 games unbeaten with a 3-1 victory against Stockport County this afternoon.
In a game that was a lot tougher than the scoreline suggests, a stubborn Stockport caused City a few problems in the second half, before a late Imps double wrote the names of the 2025/26 Imps into the history books.
City made three changes from the side that beat Exeter City 1-0 in midweek, with Ben House, Tom Bayliss and Adam Reach dropping to the bench, with Reeco Hackett, Ivan Varfolomeev and Ryley Towler coming into the side. Stockport boasted four ex-Imps in their squad, Kyle Wootton in the starting XI, with Lewis Fiorini, Tayo Edun and Jack Diamond on the bench.
City began brightly and it took barely three minutes for the Imps to register the first effort of the afternoon. Jack Moylan found space on the edge of the area and struck towards goal, but his shot was blocked and turned behind for a corner.
From the resulting set piece, Hackett whipped a dangerous delivery into the box. Tom Hamer rose well and his header clipped a defender before looping over the bar. Hackett’s second corner followed moments later, played short to the near post, but Hamer could only guide his effort wide and the chance was gone.
City continued to look lively and nearly opened the scoring on ten minutes through a well-worked move. A beautiful crossfield ball from Towler sparked the attack and, after a short passage of play, Moylan produced a sharp volley that forced Corey Addai into a smart save.
The breakthrough arrived just a minute later. Stockport failed to properly clear a Lincoln set piece, and the ball dropped invitingly inside the six-yard box. Moylan reacted quickest, stabbing home from close range to give the Imps the lead.
Lincoln almost added another shortly afterwards when a free kick was flicked on by Sonny Bradley. Rob Street reacted well, spinning and hooking a volley towards goal, but Addai was positioned well and gathered comfortably.
Towler became the first player booked on 14 minutes after hauling down Adama Sidibeh during a Stockport break. Referee Charles Breakspear showed little hesitation in producing the yellow card, with the Stockport striker possibly through on goal, albeit with a whole half to run into.
The visitors gradually began to grow into the contest. Kyle Wootton had their first effort on 23 minutes when he tried his luck from distance, but his shot sailed over the bar. Two minutes later, Stockport threatened again. Josh Dacres-Cogley delivered a cross that was partially cleared, and Oliver Norwood struck a volley from around 20 yards that flew over the Lincoln goal.
By the half-hour mark the momentum had swung towards the visitors. Stockport enjoyed a sustained spell of possession, pinning City back inside their own half and making it difficult for the Imps to break out. The final ball was always the letdown, with one-time Imps target Dacres-Cogley making a couple of very poor choices.
The tempo dipped slightly as halftime approached. Towler fired an effort well over for Lincoln, while Josh Stokes dragged a similar long-range attempt wide at the other end as the match settled into a calmer rhythm.
Lincoln almost created one final opportunity before the break when Hamer launched a huge throw into the area, even by his usual standards. The ball fell to Hackett, who turned quickly and shot, but a slight deflection took the pace off the effort, and Addai gathered comfortably.
Widget not in any sidebars
You must be logged in to post a comment.