Lincoln United 1 Cleethorpes Town 4

Brody Robertson returned to top form with a vengeance on Easter Monday, scoring three to lift Clee to a convincing win over their county rivals. Substitute Luke Aldrich added a late fourth and Lincoln could only reply with a headed goal from Charlie Ward, who also saw a red card near the end.

With the second fixture in 48 hours, it was no surprise to see Dave Smith make four changes from Saturday’s win against Morpeth. Tim Lowe returned at right back, with Jon Oglesby moving over to the left to displace Loz McKay. Jack Richardson replaced Craig Disley in midfield and Josh Batty came in for Scott Vernon. The final swap saw Danny North in for youngster Jack Boswell.

The fact that Robertson, North and Batty all started meant the side had an attacking feel. The XI lined up in a fluid formation, but was predominantly 4-3-3:

Goal: Theo Richardson
Defence: Tim Lowe, Paul Walker, Oli Donald, Jon Oglesby
Midfield: Jack Richardson, Alex Flett (captain), Lewis Collins
Attack: Danny North, Brody Robertson, Josh Batty

Subs: Loz McKay, Craig Disley, Scott Vernon, Luke Aldrich, Sam Topliss

At the appropriately named Sun-Hat Villas Stadium, it was a very warm afternoon when play began. There was a carnival atmosphere amongst the boisterous travelling support for the 25th and final away day of the season. In fact, the Owl Army made up at least a third of the holiday crowd.

Despite the hot conditions and firm pitch, the encounter started at a high tempo. Batty glanced a header wide from a Lowe cross and a North pot-shot flew off-target in the early action.

The Owls were looking lively and deservedly eased ahead in the 12th minute. Intricate build-up work saw the ball reach Brody Robertson on the edge of the area. The forward had plenty to do, but cleverly created enough space to allow himself to fire a low shot into the corner of Emery’s net.

Clee were by far the more composed of the two teams and looked dangerous every time they attacked. However, the visitors got a reminder that Lincoln posed a threat after 18 minutes, when Davison hit the upright for the Whites after being afforded too much space. Batty nearly responded in the best possible manner but, after springing the offside trap, the 20-goal man went too high with an attempted chipped finish.

As the clock ticked to 27 played, the Owls swooped to double their advantage and it was not too dissimilar from the opener. Richardson did really well to pinpoint Brody Robertson. The high-class front-man twisted away from a defender before unleashing a thunderbolt, which flew into the roof of the net before Emery could react. The strike also moved Robertson to the landmark 20 goals for the campaign in all competitions.

It was looking to be a cruise in the sun at this stage. Nevertheless, Lincoln mustered some resistance and enjoyed their best spell in the build-up to the interval, culminating in a header from Charlie Ward in the 41st minute to halve their deficit.

HT Lincoln United 1 (Ward 41) Cleethorpes Town 2 (Robertson 12, 27)

Oli Donald did not appear for the restart, which resulted in a defensive reshuffle. Loz McKay was introduced at left-back, with Oglesby going to the right and Lowe slotting in alongside Walker in the centre.

Clee quickly went about re-establishing their cushion and did so after 48 minutes. Brody Robertson burst away from a toiling defender and did not waste the golden chance to notch his second hat-trick of 2018/19, taking his time before easily slotting home.

Batty, who was getting through plenty of work, tested Emery, who responded with a decent low save. Then, Cotton wasted a clear chance for Lincoln before Robertson nearly notched his fourth, narrowly failing to convert a teasing Batty cross.

On 68 minutes, the hard-pressed Emery was again required to thwart Batty, tipping over a header. After this flurry of activity, Clee made a couple of substitutions. Firstly, hat-trick hero Robertson was withdrawn, with Luke Aldrich entering the fray. Shortly afterwards, Craig Disley replaced captain Alex Flett.

Luke Aldrich immediately looked lively and flashed a volley over, before having a close-range header held. However, the young forward was clearly keen to impress and got his reward in the 82nd minute. Batty did very well to hook over a cross from the left by-line and Aldrich rose on the 6-yard line to power his header home.

That was the end of the scoring, but Ward was dismissed for a flailing arm in the closing stages. The Owls eased through the final moments and, at the final whistle, received a nice ovation from the appreciative fans.

FT Lincoln United 1 (Ward 41) Cleethorpes Town 4 (Robertson 12, 27, 48, Aldrich 82) Attendance: 151

A nice day out in the sun and a comfortable road win! Brody Robertson is an easy choice for my man-of-the-match. Notwithstanding this, it was a good team performance and we possessed far too much quality for our hosts.

Just the Stamford game to come on Saturday, where at least a draw will secure 7th place. This, of course, will be our highest ever finishing position in the non-league pyramid.

Marvellous support yesterday and I look forward to seeing you all again at the weekend!

Details:
Saturday 27th April 3pm
Stamford – Evostik East
New Linden, Clee Road, Grimsby, DN32 8QL

Admission:
Adults £8, Concessions (Over 65s and 16-18) £4, Under 16s £2

UP THE OWLS!