Report
Luke Foster and Tom Miller both returned to the starting line-up for this FA Cup with Budweiser First Round Replay against Plymouth Argyle at Home Park with cup-tied Chris Sharp and Dan Gray the men missing out.
Heavy rain throughout the day made for a very greasy playing surface and once the pre-match formalities were done and dusted City kicked off.
The Imps started brightly, putting together some neat passes but when the final ball failed to materialise, a swift Argyle attack saw Reuben Reid get the better of Andrew Boyce but the advancing Paul Farman got in a great block to keep his shot out.
Farman then got down to hold an Andres Gurrieri drive before an offside flag went in the Imps' favour. Farman's free-kick, however, went straight to Reid who took a couple of touches before neatly slotting his side in front with just four minutes on the clock.
Sixty seconds later it was 2-0 when a long ball forward by the hosts saw Lewis Alessandra gain possession before lobbing the advancing Farman with the ball looping agonisingly under the bar and into the net.
It was all Plymouth as the opening stages continued with Farman holding a Gurrieri free-kick after Nat Brown was penalised for a trip on Reid and when play eventually went into the home half, Ben Tomlinson was booked for a foul on Max Blanchard.
In the 12th minute the Imps came within inches of pulling one back when the advancing Miller was picked out by Mo Fofana but saw his goal-bound drive superbly tipped over by Jake Cole. The 'keeper then claimed Sean Newton's inswinging corner.
The strong wind was certainly making it difficult for the Imps to get any momentum into their forward play and although they had a long spell of possession in the middle third as the half approached its midway point, they found themselves further behind in the 23rd minute when Reid netted from the spot after Miller dragged Obadeyi to the deck in the area.
Shortly after the half-hour mark the advancing Newton came close to connecting with a forward ball from Brown before Power was crowded out on the edge of the box as he prepared to set his sights.
The hardy band of travelling Imps were left with their heads in hands again 10 minutes before the break when Reid was released down the middle and after he got goal side of Boyce he clinically completed his hat-trick with a low finish past Farman.
Boyce blocked an Obedayi effort as the home side pressed for a fifth before the interval, which eventually arrived after two additional minutes which saw Gurrieri drill a low effort a foot wide.
HT: Plymouth 4 Imps 0
Both teams emerged unchanged as a very heavy rain shower greeted them as they returned with the first chance of the second period seeing Alessandra fizz a right-footed shot a foot over.
A Plymouth corner was then cleared whilst at the other end a low Jackson shot was tipped behind by Cole for a City corner which ended up seeing Tomlinson fire straght against a grounded home defender.
Jake Sheridan for Luke Foster was the game's first change, coming in the 56th minute, whilst a minute later Tyler Harvey came on for hat-trick scorer Reid for the home side.
Sheridan was quickly in the action, getting the better of two challenges before squaring for Power who was denied by Cole at full stretch. Two City corners immediately followed with Cole forced to punch the second one away from under his bar.
At the other end Miller got in a great block to deny Obadeyi and a couple of minutes later the City man was left limping following a challenge in the Argyle half. Tomlinson won another corner which was hurriedly cleared but City before the striker saw an effort go inches wide following a great Sheridan cross.
Play immediately switched to the opposite box though and when Alessandra found space on the right he saw his drilled effort bundled over the line by the unfortunate Boyce.
Two City corners came to nothing before Cole tipped a powerful Brown drive over his bar and another flag-kick was easily dealt with by the home defence who protected their clean sheet.
Nick Wright was given a five minute run out in place of Tomlinson up front but play remained in the City defensive during the remaining stages with a deflected Harvey effort and a Gurrieri shot which curled wide coming before referee Deadman brought things to a close.
FT: Plymouth 5 Imps 0
LINCOLN CITY
1 Paul FARMAN
2 Tom MILLER
5 Andrew BOYCE
23 Nat BROWN
3 Sean NEWTON
27 Luke FOSTER
6 Mamadou FOFANA
8 Alan POWER
19 Jon NOLAN
22 Marlon JACKSON
11 Ben TOMLINSON
subs
4 Todd JORDAN
7 Waide FAIRHURST
10 Nick WRIGHT (for TOMLINSON 86)
12 Jake SHERIDAN (for FOSTER 56)
15 Dan GRAY
17 Bohan DIXON
31 David PREECE
BOOKING: TOMLINSON (10)
PLYMOUTH ARGYLE
1 Jake COLE
2 Durrell BERRY
4 Maxime BLANCHARD
6 Conor HOURIHANE
7 Lewis ALESSANDRA
9 Reuben REID
14 Luke YOUNG
16 Neal TROTMAN
17 Curtis NELSON
26 Tope OBADEYI
27 Andres GURRIERI
subs
3 Andre BLACKMAN
5 Guy BRANSTON
8 Romuald BOCO (for ALESSANDRA 73)
11 Dominic BLIZZARD (for HOURIHANE 65)
18 Tyler HARVEY (for REID 57)
20 Hamza BENCHERIF
23 Luke McCORMICK
GOALS: REID (4, 23 pen, 35); ALESSANDRA (5), BOYCE (64 og)
MATCH OFFICIALS
REFEREE: Darren Deadman
ASSISTANTS: Simon Knapp & Adrian Tranter
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Andrew Bennett
ATTENDANCE: 3,324 (99 City supporters)
