Anyone doubting what serious investment in a squad can get you, should take a look at the quality Shrewsbury Town have at their disposal and for that matter the depth of strikepower. That a second choice striker could bag a first half hat trick against an Imps side with our tails up, having won five on the bounce, two in the last three with clean sheets; shows the gulf we must bridge if we are indeed to challenge the top sides in League 2. However anything more than 50 points will do us this season and lets not write off a good go at the playoffs just yet because there are maybe only a couple of sides as good as Bury and Shrewsbury in this league.
To The Teams & Schemes Sincil souls, the stars the thespians and the extras who played their part at the Theatre of The Absurd this evening........................
Lincoln City 4-4-2
Carson
Hoyte (Yellow) Hone Watts Hunt
Kelly Howell O'Keefe McCallum
Grimes Facey
Substitution Kanyuka (yellow) on for Hunt 45 Spencer on for Grimes 65 Broughton on for Facey 65.
Substitutes 20 Musselwhite 10 Broughton 17 Jarrett 19 Clapham 27 B Hutchinson 39 Spencer 40 Kanyuka
Shrewsbury 4-4-2
Smith
Grandison Sharps Candsell-Sherriff Sadler
Taylor Davies Wroe Wright
Harrold Ainsworth
Substitution McIntyre on for Davies 46 Goldstone on for Grandison
Substitutes 1 Neal 4 McAllister 8 McIntyre 11 Leslie 19 Goldstone 20 Disley 30 Downing
But to the game Fellow footy fans to the game...............
The first half was a game of consummate attacking football on the part of Shrewsbury born of industry in the centre of midfield and passion and pace down the flanks. Credit where credit is due even if they did put 5 past us in the Passionistas end, Shrews’ certainly tore us apart with Taylor opening the scoring on 5 minutes burying a beauty in the top left hand corner of the Stacey West with some style. Killing the pace of the ball with his right peg he then peeled a fabulous rising curling drive off the outside of the same foot to stun the scouts in the stands let alone the . Mad Dog McCallum then showed we too had a wide boy of guile teeing up Grimes who flicked a header home for 1-1 with just six and a half minutes on the clock.
A brave block by Hone then denied a second goal for the visitors before Carson claimed the subsequent corner well. Alas on 12 minutes Julian Kelly deflected home to give us an uphill struggle although in truth it had been coming. On 21 Ainsworth coolly converted the first of his hat trick from close range into bottom right hand corner. The Imps were being opened up at will now and 2 minutes later Ainsworth completed his brace hitting a superb drive into the top left hand corner of the net, after being teed up by Sadler who was spreading us like microwaved butter. Lively Lionel Ainsworth hit the post a minute later to empty what was left of the choirboy’s hipflasks.
Wright and then Harold went close with drives prompting some to question the value of entry even at a quid a kid a few. Such was the desperation that several Imps ventured an early half time M & M’s meal deal just in time for the Ainsworth hat trick. Harold teed him up this time after the midfield had once again gone missing in action but the fine finish from 20 yards gave Carson no chance as it squeezed inside the right hand post. Josh O’Keefe was unlucky not to get one back with a fierce drive just passed the post although Carson kept it at five a minute before half time after a lively pot shot from Harrold.
As you would expect Shrewsbury continued to comfortably dominate the second half although both sides clearly had one eye on their respective games on Saturday. This was illustrated by the fact that the sponsors gave Grimes the man of the match award even though he left the field of play with Facey on 65 minutes.
Lincoln City 1-5 Shrewsbury (HT 1-5)
Ref: Moss
Att: 3202 (Imps 3040 Shrews 160)
Possession
Lincoln City 35% Shrewsbury T 65%
Shots on target
Lincoln City 3 Shrewsbury T 8
Shots off target
Lincoln City 3 Shrewsbury T 3
Saves
Lincoln City 3 Shrewsbury T 1
Corners
Lincoln City 1 Shrewsbury T 6
Fouls
Lincoln City 8 Shrewsbury T 8
Offsides
Lincoln City 4 Shrewsbury T 3
Yellows
Lincoln City 2 Shrewsbury T 0