On a muggy Saturday morning Lincoln City's U18's travelled to league champions Hull City.
Looking to bounce back from the disappointment of their FA Youth Cup exit the young Imps showed no signs of tiredness and were straight out of the blocks looking the brighter of the two sides.
Lincoln's pressing game was relentless with Matt Bowles and Kegan Everington winning every tackle in the middle of midfield, while the back four led by skipper Callum Ward were working hard to cope with the bright movement of the home side's strikers particularly on the break down the Imps' right hand side.
Then midway through the first half, Jordan Harper held the ball up well and slid Matt Cotton through who's left footed shot was easily held by Hull's keeper.
Controversy surrounded the Imps' opener on the half hour when a Simmons free kick was charged down from less than 10 yards away. The referee booked the Tigers' defender for infringement and from the retake Simmons drilled the ball low into the bottom left corner to continue his good goalscoring form.
However against the run of play Hull won a free kick wide on the right and from that they levelled proceedings with a header low to Henry Smith's left hand corner and that was how it stayed until the half time break.
Hull began the second half brightly with lots of early possession, but as the game settled down again the Imps began to create chances through Rob Smith who made a number of dangerous forward runs into the home side's box down the right hand side.
Harper hit the side netting and Simmons fired dangerously across the six yard box before Lincoln's pressure payed off again when Cotton and Harper managed to win the ball back on the edge of Hull's box and the ball broke kindly for Harper who rifled in a shot off the inside of the post to put the visitors back in front.
The game was finely balanced and Hull began to probe the Imps' defence with long balls from deep which kept City's back line busy. As the game entered the last 10 minutes, Hull's presence from set pieces paid off again when a corner from the left hand side found their centre half who gave Smith in goal no chance with a downward header from close range.
Once again the Imps responded well with more late pressure and had a penalty appeal waved away in the dying moments when Cotton appeared to have been tripped.
But this very competitive Youth Alliance fixture ended all square and having been in front twice this had proved an excellent performance from City's youths against a very strong Hull team.
