Match report...
Callum Howe for the injured Luke Waterfall was the only change for this Vanarama National League game at Bromley which was City's first visit to the Hayes Lane Stadium.It was a lovely sunny afternoon as referee Derek Eaton led the two teams out of the tunnel and once the formalities were completed, Bromley kicked off.
City were the first to threaten, with Chris Bush heading a third minute corner over the bar whilst Bromley's response came after their forced a corner, the ball falling to Moses Emmanuel whose cross found the towering Jack Holland who saw his downward header bounce up and crash against the crossbar.
The Imps replied by winning two more corners before Alan Power and Alex Simmons combined before George Maris curled a 20-yard effort over the bar. A low Simmons effort was then tipped behind by Alan Julian at full stretch low to his left as City attacked again in the 13th minute.
Five minutes later a swift City attack ended with Maris seeing his curling effort cleared out for a throw-in by a Bromley defender and shortly afterwards an instinctive 25-yard effort by Jack Muldoon beat Julian but the ball crashed against the post.
City won their sixth corner of the game in the 26th minute but Hawkridge saw his delivery go over everyone and out for a throw-in whilst at the other end good goalkeeper from Paul Farman saw him block well to deny Bradley Goldberg. Sean Francis then met a Joe Anderson corner but headed against the bar.
It wasn't long before the home side were on the offensive again though and when Goldberg broke down the right in the 34th minute he squared for Adam Cunnington who fired his side in front.
Simmons and Maris both had efforts blocked and any hope of a quick leveller disappeared; ex-Imp Ali Fuseini then went down and was in need of treatment before hobbling to the touchline. Rohdell Gordon quickly came on as his replacement.
The opening period came to a close following two additional minutes of play.
HT: BROMLEY 1 IMPS 0
James Caton replaced George Maris prior to the start of the second half and he was quickly in the action, winning a corner on the City left which he took himself, received the ball back from Howe and fired low into the side netting.
Four minutes later, and with 54 on the clock, Caton beat his man and squared for Simmons who sent a shot on the turn over the bar and after Hodge was pulled back by Anderson, Howe headed Hawkridge's free-kick wide of the target.
Julian was forced to hold a low Muldoon drive as the Imps pressed forward again in search for an equaliser. In a bid to inject some fresh impetus, Robbie McDaid replaced Alex Simmons in the 65th minute.
A minute later Muldoon was denied by a fine Julian save before Caton volleyed over after Beevers picked him out with a superb cross-field pass. McDaid was then denied by a superb Julian stop after more good work from Caton on the City left.
Despite being the dominant force following the restart, City were hit with a sucker-punch in the 75th minute when a Bromley counter-attack ended Cunnington playing in Goldberg who duly doubled his side's lead with a neat finish from a narrowing angle.
Sparrow was booked for foul on Coombes a couple of minutes later and the Bromley man was replaced by Thomas O'Connor for the final eight minutes.
City continued to press forward with McDaid going to meet a Muldoon cross at the near post only to be denied by Julian before Caton saw a looping cross land on the roof of the net with Julian relieved to see the ball go over.
A deflected Caton cross was palmed behind by Julian but the resultant corner once again failed to produce the goods. Nothing failed to materialise in three additional minutes either so the 221 travelling City fans were once again left to reflect on a winless away performance.
FT: BROMLEY 2 IMPS 0
LINCOLN CITY
1 Paul FARMAN
6 Chris BUSH
7 Jack MULDOON
8 Alan POWER
12 Terry HAWKRIDGE
16 Alex SIMMONS
17 Elliot HODGE
18 Lee BEEVERS
21 Matt SPARROW
26 Callum HOWE
29 George MARIS
subs
15 Kegan EVERINGTON
19 Robbie McDAID (for SIMMONS 65)
24 Courtney WILDIN
28 James CATON (for MARIS h/t)
13 Aidan GRANT
BOOKING: SPARROW (77)
BROMLEY
1 Alan JULIAN
4 Ali FUSEINI
6 Jack HOLLAND
7 Pierre JOSEPH-DUBOIS
10 Bradley GOLDBERG
11 Adam CUNNINGTON
13 Joe ANDERSON
15 Lee MINSHULL
18 Moses EMMANUEL
19 Sean FRANCIS
20 Adam COOMBES
subs
23 Alex CREAN
24 Michak STANIC-STEWART
25 Rohdell GORDON (for FUSEINI 39)
27 Thomas O'CONNOR (for COOMBES 82)
GOALS: CUNNINGTON (34), GOLDBERG (75)
MATCH OFFICIALS
REFEREE: Derek Eaton
ASSISTANTS: Iain Parsons & James Whittaker jnr
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Chris Wicks
ATTENDANCE: 1,200 (221 City supporters)