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Ipswich Town 0-1 Lincoln City - Half-Time
Tuesday, 9th Mar 2021 19:58

Morgan Rogers’s 29th-minute goal has given Lincoln City a 1-0 half-time lead over the Blues at Portman Road in manager Paul Cook’s first home game in charge.

Cook made three changes from the team which lost 3-1 at Gillingham on Saturday with Flynn Downes, Gwion Edwards and Jack Lankester coming into the side for Josh Harrop, Keanan Bennetts and Troy Parrott.

Downes joined Andre Dozzell in the centre of midfield with Teddy Bishop in the number 10 role, Edwards on the right and Lankester on the left.

Alan Judge was back on the bench having been given compassionate leave at the weekend following his mother’s death.

None of Town’s six loanees started, for the first time in the league since the 1-0 defeat at Lincoln in October, while five of the XI came through the academy.

Lincoln made two changes from the team which beat Crewe 3-0 at Sincil Bank on Saturday with TJ Eyoma and Tom Hopper coming into the starting line-up for Regan Poole and Callum Morton, who dropped to the bench. Ex-Town loanee Tayo Edun started for the Imps, who named only six subs.

Joining the first team coaches on the field prior to the game to observe the warm-up and chat at length to Judge was U23s coach Kieron Dyer.


After both teams, again with the exception of Toto Nsiala, took a knee in support of Black Lives Matter, Lincoln hit the first serious shot of the game in the fifth minute, Rogers’s low effort from the edge of the area curling past Tomas Holy’s right post.

But Town saw most of the ball in the following minutes, but without finding a way through the Lincoln defence.

The Imps subsequently had a spell on top but also without being able to work a chance. On 16 Cohen Bramall blazed wide after Chambers had headed clear a corner from the right.

Five minutes later, from another Imps corner on the right, the ball fell to Rogers in space in the box but his low effort at goal was blocked by Chambers. The on-loan Manchester City man will have felt he should have done better.

Lincoln were well on top and in the 23rd minute they almost went in front. Eyoma sent over a dangerous low ball from the right and Nsiala turned it on to his own post, blocked a follow-up header and eventually helped scramble it behind while on the floor. Had the centre-half not diverted it on to the post a Lincoln player behind him would almost certainly have tapped home from a matter of inches.

The Blues had just about kept that out but in the 29th minute the Imps took a deserved lead.

Rogers, who Town tried to sign on loan before he moved to the Imps in January, was played the ball not far inside the Town half, brought it forward and then inside from the right before smashing a 25-yard strike past the static Holy and into the net.

It looked one the keeper will feel he should have stopped but seemed not to pick up as it wobbled through the air towards him.

Town had struggled to make any headway going forward but on 37 Norwood won the ball midway inside the Imps half and fed Edwards to his right but the Welshman wasted his cross.

The Blues came very close to levelling in the 41st minute. Downes, who had swapped roles with Bishop, was fouled by Edun on the left and Dozzell sent over a free-kick which reached Nsiala at the far post but the central defender directed his header the wrong side of the post.

Three minutes later, Edun again felled Downes, this time not far outside the area to the right and Dozzell curled a goalbound free-kick past the wall but Lincoln keeper Alex Palmer was able to paw away and then claim at the second attempt ahead of Nsiala.

Lincoln were well worth their lead at the break even if the Blues had had a couple of opportunities towards the end of the half.

After the Blues had had a decent early spell, the visitors had been very much in charge for most of the rest of the half, passing the ball around quickly, slickly and incisively, and might well have been ahead before Rogers’s fifth goal of the season.

Town huffed and puffed thereafter with their late chances coming courtesy of set pieces with nothing of note created from open play.

Town: Holy, Chambers (c), Nsiala, Wilson, Kenlock, Dozzell, Downes, Lankester, Bishop, Edwards, Norwood. Subs: Cornell, Ward, Harrop, Judge, Bennetts, Jackson, Parrott.

Lincoln: Palmer, Eyoma, Jackson, Monstma, Bramall, Edun, McGrandles, Jones, Rogers, Johnson, Hopper. Subs: Long, Poole, Scully, Archibald, Morton, Roughan. Referee: James Oldham (Derbyshire).


Photo: Matchday Images



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Pezzer added 20:00 - Mar 9
Interesting that the manager says we don't score enough goals then plays 1 up front.
3

Texastom added 20:04 - Mar 9
Another example showing players aren't good enough.
3

chepstowblue added 20:06 - Mar 9
Not enough goals, nobody with pace. There's a hell of a lot to address. The brave new world is a million miles away.
3

arc added 20:07 - Mar 9
"The Static Holy" could be his nickname.
0

SickParrot added 20:09 - Mar 9
PC must be stunned by how bad we are.
0

BartonBluee added 20:09 - Mar 9
Players not good enough, and playing one up front... this is great! 👎
0

TimmyH added 20:11 - Mar 9
Good job Dozzell takes dead ball situations otherwise he'd do sweet diddly squit!
1

runningout added 20:13 - Mar 9
Paul Cook must be thinking of a big clear out. Lincoln are a decent side, more so when we are naive. Nsiala has been iffy v the imps in the past, when with Shrewsbury too. Hope he stands up and be counted rest of game and beyond
0

BaaBaaBlue added 20:15 - Mar 9
Although I want to see us promoted ASAP.. the fact that no loanees started and 5 of the team came through the academy is a massive plus for me.. even if we lose tonight.. this has to be the way forward for Town. We have a really decent bunch of kids coming through.. it is time to show them after they've worked hard, they'll be rewarded with a stint in the first team.. nice one PC, thankfully someone at last with some flipping common sense
-1

BeattiesBackPocket added 20:18 - Mar 9
The one thing lambert got right was when he told evans the structure isn't right! 6 managers in 14 years can't all be cr@p surely?
1

Marinermagic added 20:18 - Mar 9
OMG watching the Ginge and Whinge show last night was more interesting than this !
0

Marinermagic added 20:18 - Mar 9
Cook OUT !
-1

ChrisR added 20:21 - Mar 9
Watching Live , Town just unable to create a chance via midfield to forwards , no creativity , no pace , no threat, hardly a shot on goal.
Dont matter who the manager is , just an average squad , we will be here forever with this bunch.
0

Texastom added 20:26 - Mar 9
Mick Mills superb but saying we have an 11 to get out of this League? No

Players are all pretty poor.
1

jas0999 added 20:30 - Mar 9
Not good enough.
0

moggasnotebook added 20:33 - Mar 9
So wound up...... GET IN TOUCH OF TOP SIX AND HAVE NOT PUSHED ON. Nothing against the new manager but I think it was the wrong time to get rid of PL. That's history though. Fully behind PC but would love to know what he thinks of squad after two games.......
-1

TimmyH added 20:34 - Mar 9
An equaliser!!...and it won't surprise anybody it comes from a dead ball situation, as per Gillingham and Accrington.
0

feelinblue added 20:59 - Mar 9
Shows that no one takes us as a threat when they play 3 up front away from home!
0

LWNR2013 added 21:02 - Mar 9
Fair result. Still in touch.
0


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