City made it 15 games league games unbeaten with a 4-0 win over Northampton Town on Tuesday night at the LNER Stadium.
The Imps led at half time thanks to Ryan Oné, who marked his first full start for the Imps with a goal, before Jack Moylan, Ivan Varfolomeev and Rob Street struck in the second half, to send the majority of the 9,242 in attendance home happy.
Michael Skubala made three changes to the side that drew with Bolton Wanderers last Saturday. Oné came in for his first City start since completing his loan move from Sheffield United last month. Meanwhile Tom Bayliss and Ben House both came back into the side after recovering from injury layoffs.
City had the first opportunity of the contest with eight minutes on the clock when Freddie Draper collected Moylan’s cross from the right flank and worked space for himself in the area, before drilling a powerful low effort straight into Ross Fitzsimons.
The Imps had the lead two minutes later, when Oné netted his second goal in three City outings. The forward beat the offside trap to latch onto a slide-rule pass from Draper, before finishing emphatically past Fitzsimons to make it 1-0.
The home side looked to press home their advantage and hit the Cobblers on the counter-attack on 22 minutes. Moylan won the ball back for the Imps and exchanged passes with House before breaking into the area and seeing his effort blocked by Jordan Willis. Moments later Moylan had another opportunity, but his thunderous effort was tipped over by Fitzsimons.
With five minutes to go until the break, the Cobblers had their first opportunity of note. Jack Burrough’s delivery wasn’t dealt with by the Imps and Kamarai Swyer was able to lay the ball off for Dean Campbell to strike, but his effort was deflected into the gloves on Wickens.
The Imps had one more opportunity right on the stroke of half time, when Oné met a cross from Reach and guided a header towards goal, but his effort was too close to Fitzsimons to trouble him.
The second half continued in the same vein as the first, with City on the attack. The Imps worked the ball out well to Tendayi Darikwa, who picked out House with his cross from the right, but he couldn’t keep the header on target. And the Imps were rewarded for their attacking start to the half with their second goal on 51 minutes. Moylan intercepted a loose pass from Fitzsimons before jinking his way into the area and poking the ball beyond the keeper, for his eighth goal of the season to make it 2-0.
Things went from bad to worse for the away side when they were reduced to 10 men on 56 minutes, when Jack Vale was sent off for a late challenge on Ben House. City looked to press home their advantage and were on the attack moments later when Reach found substitute Street with his cross, but the header was deflected over.
On 64 minutes, Fitzsimons made an outstanding save to deny Street. The forward looked to have done enough to mark his 50th appearance for City with a goal when he met Adam Reach’s cross with a powerful header, but the keeper somehow got across to claw it out of the goal. The resulting corner from Bayliss end up in the back of the net, but the referee ruled the goal out for a foul.
The keeper continued his inspired form for the away side when he made a superb double save on 68 minutes. Firstly, he denied Street again when he kept out his effort from point-blank range after good work from Oné, before he reacted quickly to deny Reach from the follow-up.
Ivan Varfolomeev and Dom Jefferies were introduced with 20 minutes later and the Ukrainian midfielder made a contribution almost straight away when he beat Fitzsimons with a fantastic strike from 25 yards. The goals continued to flow and Street got his goal on 76 minutes. Fitzsimons did well again to deny Moylan but the forward was there to convert the follow-up to make it 4-0.
The Imps had the chance to add further gloss to the scoreline in the second of six added minutes, with substitute Alfie Lloyd desperately unlucky to see his strike bounce back off a post, before Dom Jefferies follow-up was saved.
Imps - Wickens, Darikwa, Reach, Bayliss (Varfolomeev 70'), Moylan (Towler 76'), McGrandles (Lloyd 76'), Bradley, House (Jefferies 70'), Oné, Hamer, Draper (Street 55'). Unused - Jeacock, Hackett.
Northampton Town - Fitzsimons, Burroughs (Dyche 67'), McCarthy, Campbell, Willis (Fornah 54'), Hoskins (Eaves 67'), Swyer (Evans 86'), Guinness-Walker, Taylor, Moore (Perkins 67'), Vale. Unused - Burge, Forbes.
Attendance - 9,242 (432 away)
Referee – Kirsty Dowle