The Imps tasted victory this evening at LNER Stadium after a confident performance against Scunthorpe United.
Joe Walsh marked his first appearance in a City shirt with a goal in the opening minute with Zack Elbouzedi netting five minutes into the second period. TJ Eyoma bagged a third goal before Tom Hopper sidefooted home for The Imps to round out a positive performance.
The action began as Jorge Grant curled a free kick from around 20 yards over the wall, Iron stopper Rory Watson got a hand on it pushing onto the cross bar but following up was Joe WALSH and the defender swept home to give City a perfect start to proceedings at LNER Stadium.
City were confident in possession and at times peppered the Iron goal, Alex Bradley forced Watson into a low save before Grant warmed the palms of the visiting ‘keeper. Around the half an hour mark John McAtee made the first breakthrough for The Iron, latching onto a through ball into the heart of the City defence as it was intelligent play from Kelsey Mooney to let the ball run beyond his path setting his teammate through. However, just as McAtee was about to get his shot on target hefound the outstretched leg of Walsh in the way, The Imps defender throwing himself in front of the effort leaving Ethan Ross’ goal safe of danger.
After a period of Scunthorpe possession, The Imps looked to built quickly in search of a second goal. Scully went close with the outside of his boot but Watson was equal to the effort. Moments ahead of the break City were close again to getting what was proving to be an elusive second strike, Grant winning the ball back inside the opposing half before looking up and sliding the ball to Elbouzedi, he took a touch before smashing a low effort that took a slight deflection off a Scunthorpe man and drifting just wide of the far post.
However, The Imps didn’t wait long into the second half as ELBOUZEDI got his goal with five minutes gone, latching onto the ball on the right-hand side of the area to chip home beyond Watson who had raced off his line. The Irishman was causing allsorts of problems for The Iron in a move started by Roughan at left back, clipping the ball into Scully whose first-time ball found Grant, then Elbouzedi took over however an acrobatic stop from Watson denied the winger a second goal.
Undeterred by the close call, The Imps continued to threaten and there was a third goal just beyond the hour mark as TJ EYOMA netted from close range despite appearing to lose his footing as the ball came to him. Ross kept City’s card unmarked with a fine diving save low to his left as the ball was hammered in across his body before City made a number of changes and Tom Hopper almost immediately went close, nodding a corner into the side netting. The visitors made a raft of changes in the second half and it gave them a new impetus to their attack but they found Ethan Ross in the way.
As the game went into the final ten minutes or so the rain was lashing down and the wind was gusting round the stadium, the conditions weren’t helping either side and as a result chances were few and far between. However, The Imps finished with a flourish. Jordan Adebayo-Smith slid the ball into the path of Hopper who looked up and cooly slotted home the fourth and final goal of the game.
Full Time
The Imps 4 Scunthorpe United 0
The Imps (substitutes in brackets): Ross, Bradley, Walsh (Melbourne), Eyoma (Cann), Roughan (Adebayo-Smith), Edun (Sault), Jones (Makama), McGrandles, Grant (Triallist), Elbouzedi (Anderson), Scully (Hopper)