MATCH 12 : City impressively progress past Derby

Lincoln City put in a great display to progress past Derby in the 2004/5 Carling Cup. Derby scored an impressive free kick to open the scoring before quickfire goals from GTF and Yeo turned the game in City's favour before Jamie McCombe's placed shot in added on time.

City have never been a club that do well in the cups, every once in a while we might reach the second round but it had been 8 seasons since our last League Cup 1st Round win. Derby were the visitors to Sincil Bank in an eagerly anticipated 1st round tie between the sides. City hadn't started the season well and were slowly creeping down the table, making Derby the favourites despite only escaping relegation to League One a few months earlier.

A new look City side saw Gareth McAuley and Jamie McCombe replacing Morgan and Pearson to make their first starts of the season but other than that it was the same City side that lost at Scunthorpe just a few days earlier

City kicked off and were automatically on the attack but Matt Bloomer's cross was palmed out by Camp before Idiakez cleared. The game wasn't exactly an end to end affair and the first decent chance for either side came on the 1/4 hour mark when Peschisolido chipped the ball over Marriott but lacked power, he ran past Marriott and was going to head the ball but Futcher managed to get the ball clear just in time. Peschisolido would later become a transfer target for the Imps but didn't want to drop down to League 2.

Blackwood won a free kick that was taken by Gain, he crossed to Yeo but he couldn't convert the chance and forced his header straight into the keeper's hands. Yeo came close again just minutes later but his shot went well wide when it would have been easier to pass to Taylor Fletcher who was in search to maintain his record of scoring in every game so far.

Blackwood gave away a free kick about 20 yards out of goal and got booked. The free kick was taken by Idiakez and it curved right into Marriott's left hand corner which brought a big round of applause around Sincil Bank and sent the near 1,500 travelling fans (cramped into a space for 1,300 people) into delight.

The second half resulted in City yet again having the first chance to score when Gary Taylor-Fletcher's thunderbolt but it went narrowly wide. Minutes later Weaver headed just wide but it was a promising start for the Imps.

It calmed down tremendously and nothing happened for absolutely ages. Then out of nowhere in the 79th minute, City got a penalty. Yeo hit the cross but it was heading straight for Idiakez's chest. The Spaniard all of a sudden moved his arm from his side down up to his chest and he elbowed the ball and it was a penalty. Taylor-Fletcher stepped up and he confidently placed the penalty past Camp.

City were suddenly back in the game after not really threatening for a while before hand. It got better just minutes later. Second half substitute Francis Green stormed down the wing and crossed the ball, it looked as though it had missed everyone but Yeo slid across the ground and got the ball just inside the near post from a near impossible angle.

It was all over as a contest in injury time. Taylor-Fletcher kept the ball in play and was given all the time in the world to run along the goal line, some defenders eventually closed down but Taylor-Fletcher past to McCombe who smashed the ball in for his first City goal.

The Imps went to Birmingham in the second round, eventually losing 3-1 after a sprited display.