Late slip costs Imps 3 places

By Nathan Jackson
February 24 2005

Heading into the final 10 minutes, City were heading for 3rd place but ended the night one place lower than they'd started due to a late goal in a game where the home team dominated the possession.

The kick off was delayed by just over half an hour after a floodlight failed, after much deliberation between Keith Alexander, Orient boss Martin Ling and the referee, the game finally started at 8:20pm. The game got off to a near perfect start but Daryl Mahon fired over from the edge of the area. However, where Orient failed, Lincoln capitalized, a long ball forward saw Yeo shot very early from the corner of the box, the ball "banana'd" over Orient keeper Harrison and went into the net to make it 1-0 to the Imps after 3 minutes and secured Yeo his 10th goal in the last 7 games.

City almost scored a quick second but the offiside flag was raised on a fair few occasions. The game slowed down a bit but Orient started coming back at Lincoln and it was almost deja vu as Orient almost scored the 12th minute when a Derek Duncan cross went out for a corner, 3 corners later, Duncan shot just over the bar. If he had scored it, the game would have been heading for an exact replica for the game at Sincil Bank earlier this season in which City took a 1-0 lead in the 3rd minute to be pegged back in the 12th.

GTF grabbed his ankle in the 27th minute when John Mackie. Matt Bloomer's resulting free kick found itsway to the head of Green who sent in a cross that was headed wide by GTF. Orient weren't making it easy but were failing to create any real chances although Lee Steele did have a long range shot well saved by Marriott.

Orient won a corner on the half hour but it was easily cleared by the City defence. City pushed forward and gained their first corner 3 minutes later but Sandwith did his usual trick of giving it back to Orient at the first oppurtunity.

THE GUIDE TO A KEVIN SANDWITH CORNER

It will

A) Go straight to the first defender

B) Go straight to the keeper

C) Go out of play

Please not these rules can't be changed even it you desperatly want it to.

It was a fairly even game with Orient finishing the half a lot better than City. A Lockwood corner with 2 minutes of the half left, he decided to copy the Kevin Sandwith guide to corner taking and kick it straight out of play. McMahon tested Marriott but the resulting parry ended with Yeo firing over the crossbar.

It was an odd feeling as coming out for the second half, every other game only had 5-10 minutes left, news fed through Swansea had lost at Darlington and that Southend were winning. The latter didn't really matter as long as City won and if that happened, City would go 3rd for the first time in 2 and a half years. However, it didn't look likely that would happen only 5 minutes into the second half. Orient broke down the right before Youngs shot at Marriott who parried, the ball fell to Duncan just 4 yards out but he somehow fired well wide. The attacks on the city goal didn't stop though. Youngs supplied Steele with a cross but the striker was far from as deadly as he had been at Sincil Bank earlier in the season.

Now, here comes a very odd stat for you, prior to the Orient game, this was Paul Morgan's attacking stats for City.

Paul Morgan Attack-ometre

Name : Paul Morgan

From : Northern Ireland

Signed : 2001 from Preston North End

Status : First team regular and captain

Forward runs in the 3 and a half seasons spent with City : 2

Goals scored from those runs : 1

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. After a melee in midfielder, Paul Morgan somehow ended up with the ball and was running 1 on 1 with Harrison, City fans weren't sure what to think because as you can see from the stats above, he isn't exactly known for his forward runs having played over 150 games for the club. He got to the edge of the area where he tried to place his shot but it was easily parried by Harrison, Yeo popped up but his shot went over, it wouldn't have mattered though because the offside flag had already gone up because Yeo was offside when Morgan shot. City won two consecutive corners. Too see the results I refer you to the Kevin Sandwith guide to corner taking.

City reverted to a 4-4-2 as Keith brought Beevers on for his debut at the expence of GTF who had had a very quiet game. It failed to pay off though as the impact was almost immediate but not in City's favour. It was confirmed that if City won that 3rd place would be ours, also Scunny had lost at Yeovil meaning a win at Cheltenham on Saturday could have seen City got 2nd, however, if you noticed there was a lot of ifs and buts in that and it turns out to be an anti climax. A Barnard throw in was headed in by Mackie just minutes from time. That goal cost City 3 places, if it hadn't have gone in, City would have been 3rd, however, City slipped down to 6th due to Southend winning.