Report
There were four changes to the City starting line-up for this Skrill Premier visit of Wrexham to Gelder Group Sincil Bank Stadium. Back into the team were Dan Gray, Mo Fofana, Waide Fairhurst and Danny Rowe with Tom Miller, Luke Foster, Todd Jordan and the suspended Alan Power the men missing out.
Glorious Bank Holiday sunshine greeted the two teams as they were led out of the tunnel by referee Richard Wigglesworth and once the pre-match formalities were done and dusted play got underway with Wrexham kicking off attacking the Stacey West Stand.
The Imps, skippered by Nat Brown, started the game brightly as they looked to put visiting stopper Joslain Mayebi under pressure early on but the first half chance came Wrexham's way with Kevin Thornton blazing well over the bar after a free-kick landed at his feet to the left of the box.
City's response in the eighth minute saw Fairhurst fizz a snap shot a foot wide from 25 yards but it remained a quiet opening as both teams took their time to settle into proceedings.
Fairhurst dragged another effort wide of the target and Rowe delayed the pulling of the trigger as the ball got stuck under his feet before Andrew Boyce was denied by Mayebi after heading a long Gray throw-in goalwards.
At the other end Wrexham won the game's first corner which was easily dealt with by the Imps' back line whilst a couple of minutes later Sheridan won a flag-kick for City which was taken by Newton and punched clear by Mayebi.
Goalscoring chances remained at a premium as the half-hour mark came and went whilst in the 35th minute both squads took some fluid on board when Stephen Wright went down clutching his hamstring. Leon Clowes was Wright's replacement before play resumed.
City made the most of Wrexham's enforced defensive reshuffle as, within a couple of minutes, a Gray free-kick was won in the air by Boyce and in nipped BEN TOMLINSON to lift the ball past Mayebi for his first goal in Imps' colours.
Shortly after the restart Tomlinson teed up Fairhurst who saw his volley held by Mayebi as the Imps looked for a quick second whilst the visiting 'keeper was left grounded a couple of minutes before the break after he came off worse in a challenge with Tomlinson. Referee Wigglesworth, after awarding Wrexham a free-kick, was quick to tell the Wrexham man to get up.
Three minutes of added time was indicated by the Fourth Official and in the early stages of these extra stages, Sheridan lifted an effort over after he pressured Junior N'Tame into a moment of hesitation.
HT: Imps 1 Wrexham 0
City restarted proceedings and were quickly on the offensive with Tomlinson putting N'Tame under pressure whilst a shocking mistake from Mayebi saw him concede a corner under no pressure, much to the amusement of all Imps fans in the ground. Unfortunately, Newton's flag-kick was cleared.
Some great persistence from Boyce saw him win a free-kick in a dangerous position, having been up for a set-piece, with Rowe's delivery clipping the wall for a corner. Rowe's deep flag-kick led to another on the opposite flank with this being headed over by Boyce with Mayebi punching thin air.
Two more corners quickly followed as the Imps continued to push the Wrexham defence under pressure and in a bid to get back into the game, a double Wrexham change saw Johnny Hunt and Joe Anyinsah come on for Kevin Thornton and Bradley Reid.
Wrexham's Steve Tomassen picked up a 65th minute booking for dragging the impressive Fofana to the deck whilst a couple of minutes later Brown got in a great block to deny Brett Ormerod a shot on goal.
A Wrexham corner then ended up with Joe Clarke curling inches over before City's first changes saw Bohan Dixon and Luke Foster come on for Danny Rowe and Waide Fairhurst.
The visitors continued to make a fight of it, winning another corner which Fofana and then Newton cleared, before a sweeping City move ended with Tomlinson's centre being cleared behind and over the stand by a Wrexham defender.
City kept the ball in the attacking third and made it count in the 83rd minute when, after Gray hurled a trademark throw into the mix, there at the back post was TOMLINSON who prodded past a static Mayebi for his second of the afternoon.
Tom Miller replaced Jake Sheridan, who got an excellent reception as he left the field, a couple of minutes later, on the right before Ormerod clipped the top of City's bar with a snap-shot from just inside the box. Farman appeared to get a touch but referee Wigglesworth awarded a goal-kick.
In the closing stages of normal time, a Dixon cross was cleared for a corner. The substitute then forced another before keeping the ball in the corner to eat up some valuable seconds.
A free-kick to the Imps on the opposite flank finished the job off as, after Mayebi punched Newton's delivery away, referee Wigglesworth blew for time.
FT: Imps 2 Wrexham 0
LINCOLN CITY
1 Paul FARMAN
15 Dan GRAY
5 Andrew BOYCE
23 Nat BROWN
3 Sean NEWTON
6 Mamadou FOFANA
19 Jon NOLAN
7 Waide FAIRHURST
12 Jake SHERIDAN
9 Danny ROWE
11 Ben TOMLINSON
subs
2 Tom MILLER (for SHERIDAN 86)
4 Todd JORDAN
17 Bohan DIXON (for ROWE 74)
27 Luke FOSTER (for FAIRHURST 74)
31 David PREECE
GOAL: TOMLINSON (38, 83)
WREXHAM
1 Joslain MAYEBI
14 Steve TOMASSEN
2 Stephen WRIGHT
27 Junior N’TAME
3 Neil ASHTON
21 Robbie EVANS
6 Joe CLARKE
4 Kevin THORNTON
10 Brett ORMEROD
9 Andy BISHOP
22 Bradley REID
subs
13 Andy COUGHLIN
15 Rob OGLEBY
16 Johnny HUNT (for THORNTON 62)
17 Leon CLOWES (for WRIGHT 36)
26 Joe ANYINSAH (for REID 62)
BOOKINGS: TOMASSEN (65)
MATCH OFFICIALS
REFEREE: Richard Wigglesworth
ASSISTANTS: Mark Hutchinson & Mark Powell
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Stuart Richardson