Match report...
With Alan Power ruled out with a calf injury, Paul Farman was handed the captain's armband for this penultimate Vanarama National League home game of the season against Chester.Bradley Wood returned from suspension and there were recalls for both Robbie McDaid and James Caton as Alex Simmons and George Maris dropped to the bench. Matt Rhead was also back in the fold and amongst the substitutes.
Chester kicked off attacking the Stacey West Stand but it was the Imps who were the first to threaten; Terry Hawkridge picking out McDaid with a cross from the right only for the Northern Ireland U21 international to head against the bar with Tony Thompson beaten.
Shortly afterwards McDaid fired over from 25 yards but play then became rather stagnant with neither side threatening as the quarter hour mark came and went.
In the 19th minute there was half a chance for Hawkridge who cut inside his marker only to see his final effort blocked by a covering defender and four minutes later Jack Muldoon turned his marker but saw Thompson hold his goal bound drive.
A Hawkridge corner was then helped across the box by McDaid before Bush saw his looping header bounce inches wide and a couple of minutes later another City corner came to nothing as Bush was penalised for a push.
City kept pressing for the opener and it duly arrived in the 38th minute when Hawkridge floated in a peach of a cross and there to head superbly past Thompson was ROBBIE McDAID.
A couple of minutes later referee Alan Young spoke to Hawkridge and Thompson after the pair went nose-to-nose following an incident involving Hawkridge and Sam Hughes, who appeared to take a blow to the head in a challenge with the City number 12. Hughes staggers off the pitch for treatment and was duly replaced by Ryan Higgins.
HT: IMPS 1 CHESTER 0
Both sides made a change prior to the start of the second half with George Maris coming on for James Caton for City whilst James Alabi for Ben Heneghan was Chester's switch.
The visitors had the first attempt at goal following the break with John Rooney curling a free-kick well over after he was adjudged to have been felled by Beevers whilst at the other end a Maris cross was hammered against McDaid by a defender but the ball flew out for a goal-kick.
Matt Rhead replaced Elliot Hodge in the 62nd minute and was quickly in the action, linking up with Maris who won a corner which Rooney hammered out for a throw-in.
Muldoon was then denied by Thompson after getting on the end of a Maris cross whilst a rare Chester attack ended with Tom Shaw drilling wide from the edge of the box.
Jordan Chapell for Craig Mahon was Chester's final change, this coming before the visitors' first corner was headed away by Wood but it wasn't long before Chester were pressing forward again and when Hannah and Rooney combined, the latter saw his chopped centre find substitute Alabi who headed home with ease from close range.
With 75 minutes played, Chester's Hannah went off injured and as the visitors had used all their substitutes, it meant they were down to 10 men; Alex Simmons for Robbie McDaid, meanwhile, was the Imps third change.
Chester were level for just eight mintues as, in the 81st minute, Rhead nodded down a Beevers centre and there to fire home clinically was GEORGE MARIS for his second of the season and his first at Sincil Bank.
The goal appeared to knock the stuffing out of the visitors and as the final minute approached Muldoon set up Simmons who fired just over from 20 yards before Simmons dragged a low effort wide following good work by Maris.
Four added minutes saw Thompson claim a long-range Hawkridge effort whilst Muldoon was booked following a tangle with Luke George.
FT: IMPS 2 CHESTER 1
LINCOLN CITY
1 Paul FARMAN
2 Bradley WOOD
6 Chris BUSH
7 Jack MULDOON
12 Terry HAWKRIDGE
17 Elliot HODGE
18 Lee BEEVERS
19 Robbie McDAID
21 Matt SPARROW
26 Callum HOWE
28 James CATON
subs
9 Matt RHEAD (for HODGE 62)
16 Alex SIMMONS (for McDAID 77)
24 Courtney WILDIN
29 George MARIS (for CATON h/t)
13 Aidan GRANT
GOALS: McDAID (38), MARIS (81)
BOOKING: MULDOON (90+4)
CHESTER FC
13 Tony THOMPSON
3 Johnny HUNT
5 Luke GEORGE
7 Craig MAHON
8 Tom SHAW
9 Ross HANNAH
10 John ROONEY
12 Sam HUGHES
17 Ryan ASTLES
22 Ben HENEGHAN
26 Ryan LLOYD
subs
2 Ryan HIGGINS (for HUGHES 42)
11 Jordan CHAPELL (for MAHON 68)
19 Craig HOBSON
23 James ALABI (for HENEGHAN h/t)
1 Jon WORSNOP
GOAL: ALABI (73)
MATCH OFFICIALS
REFEREE: Alan Young
ASSISTANTS: Grant Taylor & Martyn Holmes
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Jane Simms
ATTENDANCE: 2,001 (157 visiting supporters)
