No Place Like Home: Lincoln City 4-1 Burnley

Lincoln City recorded their first Championship win at a rocking Sincil Bank with a firm thrashing of Burnley this afternoon.

The Imps went into the game looking to build on the point earned at Millwall a week earlier, with three changes to the starting XI. Mikkel Ladefoged, Conor McGrandles and Ben House returned to the side, replacing Freddie Draper, Ivan Varfolomeev and Rob Street, as the Imps switched to a 4-4-2 formation. Dom Jefferies and Reeco Hackett occupied the wide positions, while Andrei Coubiș lined up at right-back.

City made a bright start and thought they had taken the lead after just four minutes. Ladefoged flicked the ball on for Coubiș, who found the net, but the celebrations were cut short by an offside flag. It was an early indication of the Imps’ attacking intent, and they continued to put Burnley under pressure in the opening exchanges.

Hackett was the next to threaten, benefitting from some excellent work by House in the seventh minute. The striker won possession and played a neat pass into Hackett, who shifted the ball inside before getting his shot away. It was a decent effort, although Burnley goalkeeper Grégoire Coudert was able to hold it without too much difficulty.

The visitors were forced into an early change after 12 minutes when Armando Broja picked up an injury, with Andréas Hountondji introduced in his place. The substitution was accompanied by chants of ‘you’re not fit to wear the shirt’ from the travelling Burnley supporters, who were clearly unimpressed with what they had seen from him.

Hountondji was quickly involved, breaking forward in the 17th minute and attempting to release Largie Ramazani, only for Adam Reach to get across and flick the ball away. At the other end, City continued to look dangerous, with Jefferies particularly lively. He had a shot blocked after Ladefoged knocked the ball down, then immediately won possession back high up the pitch to earn a throw-in.

Reach then went close twice in quick succession. His first effort, struck beautifully from the edge of the penalty area, looked threatening before a Burnley defender got in the way. The rebound fell kindly for the experienced defender, but his second attempt was nowhere near as clean and flew out for a goal kick.

City continued to create openings, and in the 21st minute Coubiș released Hackett down the right flank. His cross flashed through the area, evading Ladefoged before House attempted to bundle the ball home at the far post. The striker couldn’t quite make the necessary contact, but the move was another example of the problems City were causing Burnley’s defence.

The Clarets offered a reminder of their own attacking threat three minutes later, working a clever corner that resulted in an effort towards goal. Hackett was perfectly positioned to clear off the line, preventing the visitors from taking the lead against the run of City’s attacking momentum.

There was then a slightly chaotic moment in the City defence, with Hackett missing an attempted clearance and Lucas Pires finding himself in a promising position. Whether the Burnley man’s subsequent effort was intended as a shot or a cross was difficult to tell, but it ended up being neither particularly successful.

The Imps were soon back on the attack, causing further problems in the Burnley penalty area just after the half-hour mark. Hackett picked out Jefferies, whose shot was blocked, before the ball was sent back into the danger area. A scramble followed, with Burnley struggling to clear their lines before eventually managing to get the ball away.

However, the visitors were beginning to find opportunities of their own, and Dastan Satpayev forced George Wickens into an important save in the 33rd minute. City surrendered possession cheaply in midfield, allowing Burnley to break quickly, but Wickens stood firm and denied the striker. The danger was eventually cleared, although play was briefly stopped after Ramazani suffered a head injury during the passage of play.

There was another moment of determination from Jefferies shortly afterwards, one that summed up City’s willingness to compete for every ball. A long throw had seemingly come to nothing, with the ball heading out for a Burnley throw-in, but Jefferies chased it down and produced an inventive backheel against a defender to win possession back for his side.

Despite City’s positive attacking play, it was Burnley who broke the deadlock in the 39th minute. A corner was delivered across the penalty area, travelling beyond everyone before reaching Hountondji at the back post. The substitute had the simplest of tasks to tap the ball home, giving the visitors a lead that felt frustrating from a City perspective.

The Imps looked for an immediate response, with Deji Elerewe striding forward from defence and carrying the ball deep into Burnley territory. He eventually found McGrandles in space, but the midfielder’s first-time effort went wide of the target.

Burnley were also looking increasingly dangerous as the half drew to a close, with City guilty of a few unnecessary mistakes in possession. One such passage of play allowed the visitors another opportunity in the 45th minute, although the resulting shot took a deflection and went wide of Wickens’ goal for a corner.

However, just as it appeared the Imps would head into the dressing room trailing, House provided a dramatic equaliser in the third minute of added time. The move began with Ladefoged being held, earning City a free kick and allowing them to push bodies forward. The pressure eventually resulted in a long throw from Coubiș, which bounced through the penalty area and found House waiting at the back post. The returning striker made no mistake, smashing the ball home to bring City level.

There was still time for one final scare before the interval, with Burnley almost restoring their advantage immediately. A dangerous ball across the City penalty area found Ramazani, but his volley drifted wide of the target.

That proved to be the final action of an entertaining first half, with City heading into the break level at 1-1.