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Tuesday 21st September - Lincoln United 3-0 Frickley Athletic

Frickley were made to pay for missing a series of good chances as Lincoln United converted three of their much more limited number of chances to win much more easily then the scoreline suggests.

Gary Hatto made a couple of changes to the starting line-up with Wayne Benn returning to a 5-man defence, with Chris Fawcus also returning after being cup-tied on Saturday. Lee Pugh was fit enough for a place on the subs. bench.

Lincoln started the match positively, exposing the Blues' defence with a series of crosses from both wings but these were dealt with fairly comfortably. The Blues managed a quick break but Nick Conroy raced out of his goal to challenge James Walker for a long ball, which evaded both of them and rolled out for a goal kick. Richard Tracey then cut in from the left before seeing his angled shot well smothered by Conroy. The Blues had a let-off on 22 minutes when Marc Shackelton failed to collect a corner from the left but somehow a Lincoln forward managed to miss-kick in front of an open goal. Two minutes later Tracey broke through the offside trap down the left but took his time to control the high bouncing ball but he did well to roll the ball towards James Walker at the near post but his shot went over the bar. The Blues were now starting to control the game and went close again on 27 minutes when Steve Woolford sent Mark Vickerage racing towards goal, shoulder to shoulder with the last defender but he  dragged his shot just wide of the right hand post. A minute later the home side threatened but Jon Hawley headed wide when unmarked. On the half hour Vickerage saw his 20 yard shot acrobatically tipped over the bar by Conroy. The home side took the lead ten minutes before the break when Shackelton allowed a cross from the right to slip past him, allowing Charlie Trout to tap in at the far post.

The Blues started the second half on the offensive with Dale Rimmington volleying just wide of the left hand post and then Walker glancing a header from a Fawcus cross just beyond the opposite post. On 58 minutes Conroy tipped away a free-kick by Benn, with Steve Robinson blasting the loose ball over the bar from close range. Then, Vickerage seized on a good long ball from Robinson to break down the right of the box but, after turning back inside a defender he saw his shot blocked by Conroy. Tracey was the next to be thwarted by Conroy on 68 minutes when the 'keeper brilliantly tipped over Tracey's powerful 20 yard snap-shot. Robinson then took a knock in a challenge on half-way and was caught lackinging on 70 minutes when a free-kick was headed down to the unmarked Gary Bull who couldn't miss from 6 yards. The Blues still kept plugging away with Walker turning well on the edge of the box before seeing his shot charged down, with Vickerage firing the rebound over the bar from 20 yards. In the 89th minute Lincoln rubbed salt into the wounds by adding a third on the break, with substitute Jamie Clarke outpacing Benn before firing past Shackelton. Still, the Blues went close twice more, with Walker doing brilliantly down the right before sending over a great cross across the face of goal but no-one was on hand to apply the finishing touch. And two minutes into added time Pugh saw his low 25 yard shot fly just past the left hand post.

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