Lincoln United 4 Cleethorpes Town 5

The Owls travelled down the A46 for this Boxing Day clash in desperate need of a result following successive league defeats. At the start of play, Clee had slipped to ninth in the table and, whilst enjoying games in hand over most rivals, were looking to re-establish themselves amongst the division’s pacesetters.

Lincoln United were in twelfth place but still harboured hopes of forcing their way into the play-off picture. Indeed, the Whites had tasted victory in their previous three fixtures and were endeavouring to continue the winning thread.

A good travelling support made up nearly a third of the holiday crowd and they welcomed the players onto the pitch at the Sun Hat Villas Stadium in enthusiastic fashion. It was a sunny but cold afternoon and Clee had three changes from the team that lost on Saturday. In came Peter Winn, Jack Richardson and Danny North for Liam Dickens, Matt Bloomer and Liam Davis respectively. It was also back to the formation of 4-4-2 for the Owls.

The Whites got off to the perfect start in the 2nd minute when a free-kick from midfield found Jack McGovern, who finished via a post from 10 yards as the visitors failed to clear their lines.

This shock stung Clee into life and they thought they had equalised in the 6th minute. Good play and shot on the left by winger Jon Oglesby resulted in the ball rebounding to striker Brody Robertson, who slotted into the unguarded net. Unfortunately, the assistant’s flag cut short the celebrations. It was a good spell for the Owls as all the front four threatened to get behind the home defence.

However, Lincoln had two golden chances to double their lead within the space of a minute on the quarter hour mark. A long ball deceived the defence and the dangerous McGovern hit the underside of the bar from six yards with Richard Walton beaten. This was immediately followed by Callum Ward bursting through a static back line to shoot narrowly wide.

It had been a sluggish start by the usually reliable Clee defence and the ranks of visiting fans gathered behind Walton offered encouragement but felt uneasy after the opening 20 minutes.

As the half wore on though, the Owls were gradually having the better of the play. North slipped a ball through to Oglesby. His cut back was just behind the advancing Andy Taylor. North was involved again when he tumbled to the ground in the box but the referee waved away the appeals for a penalty.

Lincoln still had plenty to offer on the break and Oli Donald did well to force McGovern wide when the striker looked to fashion a shooting opportunity.

The match was turned on its head in the five minutes before the interval as Clee incredibly scored three times. Good play by Robertson and Taylor led to the ball falling to North in a central position. He made no mistake as he found the bottom corner to record his 14th goal of the season in all competitions.

This was followed by a Winn free-kick from 20 yards which forced a save from the keeper and then, as the clock ticked into two minutes of added time, Oglesby sprung the offside trap. He steadied himself before beating McGann at his near post. There was still time for more good play by Oglesby. His short ball through the inside left was dispatched into the net by Taylor from a narrow angle.

It had been a stunning burst from Clee and sent the visitors in for their half-time cuppa in a buoyant mood.

HT Lincoln United 1 (McGovern 2) Cleethorpes Town 3 (North 40, Oglesby 45+1, Taylor 45+2)

The second period began with the hosts on the front foot. A high ball in from a free-kick caused confusion in the Owls’ defence and bounced around dangerously for several seconds before being lashed away to safety.

Clee were dealt a blow in the 52nd minute when Winn was forced off injured. The defence re-organised with Bloomer coming in at right-back and Tim Lowe switching flanks.

Lincoln were continuing to press without looking over dangerous but were handed a lifeline with an hour gone. There was a coming together in the area between Oglesby and Grimes, which looked to be pretty innocuous. However, the referee saw it differently and startled most of those present by pointing to the spot. McGovern did not pass up the gift and fired confidently past Walton.

The whole incident seemed to unsettle the official and he gave some baffling decisions for the next ten minutes. This included Marcus Newell being dismissed from the technical area in the 63rd minute. The popular manager was forced to troop round to the dressing room area to view the rest of the afternoon’s action.

Dickens replaced captain Alex Flett on 70 minutes and was immediately required in defence when he conceded a corner. Cotton shot wide from the resultant play.

It was now end-to-end as both sides were putting on a post-Christmas treat for the fans. North almost threaded a ball through to Jack Richardson but a defender read the situation well. However, Clee did not have to wait long to restore their two-goal advantage.

Robertson broke free on the right wing and surged towards goal. The striker, who had worked tirelessly all afternoon, unselfishly found Richardson in the middle. The keeper got a hand to his shot but could not claw the ball away and it finished in the roof of the net to the delight of the Clee fans.

Davis entered the fray a couple of minutes later in place of Oglesby, who had played well and received a well-earned ovation.

If the Owls thought they could now coast to the points, they were rocked again in the 81st minute when Lincoln scored their third. Jack Wightwick latched on to a looping through ball and lobbed over the advancing Walton. He was quickest to react and slid it into the empty net.

Breathless stuff and more great play from North on 84 minutes when he found Taylor, who turned a defender delightfully, but could not pinpoint Robertson in the middle. However, Clee looked to have made the game safe four minutes later with their fifth of the day. Davis, who had made an impact since his introduction, sidestepped a defender and advanced to finish easily.

Five minutes added time were shown and in the second of these, Wightwick scored a great goal. Finding space, his powerful shot cannoned off the bar and into the net.

Sensing a sensational comeback, Lincoln continued to pile forward and as we went into the sixth added minute, Grimes had the chance to grab an unlikely point. Falling to him 10 yards out but at a narrow angle, he took aim as Walton advanced. As the whole crowd seemed to hold its collective breath, his curled effort was too high and sailed over.

The final whistle sounded shortly after to signal a narrow but deserved win for Owls. Both teams were rightly applauded off after a marvellous Boxing Day spectacle.

FT Lincoln United 4 (McGovern 2 & 61 pen, Wightwick 81 & 90+2) Cleethorpes Town 5 (North 40, Oglesby 45+1, Taylor 45+2, Richardson 73, Davis 89) Attendance: 131

A feast of entertainment for the supporters – it is not often you get to witness a 5-4 result. It is fair to say, though, that it could easily have finished 8-7! Not a day for the defences to look back upon with happy memories but both sides played some excellent football in patches with great finishing.

Credit to Lincoln for never losing heart and pushing the Owls all the way. However, it was an important win and good to see five different scorers after the two recent setbacks. It tees the team up nicely for the fixtures over the New Year weekend.

Also, a word for the large and vocal away following. They received praise from the home chairman for their behaviour and support of Clee. A nice touch from Mr Bradley and one that I know will be appreciated by the fans.

The Owls are next in action on Saturday (30th – 3pm) when they face a lengthy journey to meet Kidsgrove Athletic (postcode: ST7 1BQ). Clee triumphed 2-1 in a competitive match early in the season and will be keen to return home from Staffordshire with the points.

It is then back to Bradley for another derby on New Year’s Day (3pm) against Spalding United. The reverse fixture saw the Owls record a comfortable 3-0 win over the Tulips on a sweltering August afternoon.

UP THE OWLS!