MATTHEWS MAGIC GIVES WRIGHTY FIRST WIN

Scott Matthews broke the deadlock for the home side in the 73rd minute. The goal came from a free kick on the edge of the penalty area.

The Gresley keeper seemed to misjudge the angle of the ball and was beaten at his near post.

Both teams had good spells in the first half, but struggled to find the target, which continued in the second period.

Lincoln’s goal was their only shot on target in the entire second half.

Lincoln will see this game as an opportunity to stop the rot, registering their first win in five games against bottom of the league Gresley.

Of the two, Gresley looked most like scoring after having a goal disallowed for offside in the 11th minute. They also nearly converted four minutes later when the goalkeeper spilled a long shot from a free kick into the path of an opposing striker.

Gresley were also unfortunate to not to score for a second time, when the Whites’ goalkeeper Michael Emery spilled a long shot into the path of a Gresley striker. The keeper was fortunate to be fouled as there were strikers lining up to score in the empty net.

After United’s goal they came under a lot of pressure from the away side, who needed to take points from the game to help them climb off the bottom of the table.

Despite this pressure, Lincoln still pressed forward and were unfortunate not to score a second with just 12 minutes left to play.

Sean Wright’s header from an excellent ball into the box from a corner seemed to just brush to top of the bar as it went over.

Wiith yet another stand out performance from captain Michael Jacklin, Lincoln held on to claim a much needed home win.

Gresley were much more aggressive in the second half and will feel they deserved more, but Lincoln’s excellent defending meant they could not find a way through.

While Lincoln’s struggles in front of goal seemed to continue, their overall play was much better. The team pressed very well and did not allow Gresley to have too much time on the ball.

Lincoln also showed very good discipline, picking up the one yellow card. Sean Wright brought down a Gresley attacker when they were breaking well from a United corner.

The win means Lincoln stay 13th in the league, meanwhile Gresley remain at the bottom, three points away from safety.