14th January 2023
Lincoln United vs Sheffield FC @ Ashby Avenue - Lincoln
Northern Premier League, Division One East (Step 4)
15:00 KO
£9 entry
Attendance - 229
Half-time score: Lincoln United 3-0 Sheffield FC
Goals:
Lincoln City: Cotton - 7' (P)
Lincoln City: Park - 22'
Lincoln City: Priestley - 26'
Sheffield FC: Baskerville - 58'
Sheffield FC: Fielding - 78'
Sheffield FC: Coleman - 84' (P)
Final Score: Lincoln United 3-3 Sheffield FC
Another weekend in Lincolnshire, and another opportunity to visit a new club, this time making the short trip across to see Lincoln United, Lincoln's other football team, based on the edge of the picturesque Hartsholme Country Park. They ply their trade in the 8th tier of the English football pyramid, but despite this they faced an incredibly famous and iconic opponent in Sheffield FC, the oldest and first ever football team in the world, 165 years old this year being founded in 1857! I have always wanted to see this team, and going to their ground is certainly on the bucket list, so I was excited to be seeing them at Ashby Avenue, although I would be supporting Lincoln United today.
I went to the game with the Father-in-Law, and kindly the Mother-in-Law gave us a lift to The Centurion pub, around a 35mins walk from the ground, for a pre-match beer, a lovely pint of London Pride. The walk to the ground took us past the picturesque Swanholme Lakes, and before long we were at the ground.
Once at the ground, we went to the clubhouse to watch the end of the Man Utd vs Man City game with a pint of Caffreys Irish Ale - not one I have seen on tap for a while and it made a nice change. There was also an interesting adornment to the urinals, I've never taken a picture of a urinal before, and it did feel odd, but this had to be put into the blog!
In the ground, it was a decent set-up with all the facilities needed and sheltered stands all sides of the pitch. From one end of the pitch the imposing tower block structure of Jarvis House loomed large over the ground for an interesting scene, I wonder if anyone in the flats was watching the game from their vantage point?
Despite the rain overnight, the pitch looked fine, if a little soft, and the game was played out on a typical grey winters afternoon, albeit with a bittingly cold wind whipping up off the nearby lakes, which required a half-time cheeseburger and chips and a coffee to keep warm, and I must say it was another decent non-league burger, better than the fare most league teams offer, and cheaper!
Before long, the teams came out, the referee leading out the teams to pick up the ball from a plinth, followed by Lincoln United in their home colours of all white (hence their nickname The Whites), and Sheffield FC in blue, I think this may have been an away shirt.
KEY MOMENTS
LU = Lincoln United
SF = Sheffield FC
6' - LU - PENALTY - Having absorbed some early pressure, Lincoln United break, winger Payne seeing the run of Dye, he threads the ball through, Dye gets to the ball first, takes a touch away from the keeper is taken out and the referee immediately points to the spot.
7' - LU - GOAL (1-0) - Captain Cotton steps up and calmly slots the ball into the bottom left corner to give The White the lead.
14' - SF - During a sustained attack, the ball falls to centre-back and captain Watson, he fires towards the goal and it is blocked by a forest of players. There were some shouts for handball, but they were not too impassioned.
21' - SF - A free kick is awarded in a dangerous position on the left flank. Coleman whips the ball in, it pings around the box and falls to striker Baskerville who flicks the ball towards goal, it has keeper Steggles beaten, but it hits the post and bounces out back into the path of the keeper for him to collect.
22' - LU - GOAL (2-0) - A swift attack down the left from Lincoln United, winger Kallum Smith recycles the loose ball and crosses the ball into the box, striker Park is in the middle and his diving header glances off his head to nestle into the corner of the goal, a neat finish to put Lincoln 2-0 up.
26' - LU - GOAL (3-0) - Lincoln quickly follow up with a third goal, captain Cotton slots in Priestley, and he is able to calmly slot the ball in to put Lincoln 3-0 up after only 26 minutes with another neat finish.
34' - SF - Captain Watson crossed the ball into the far post, it is met by the head of Cutts but his effort is marginally wide.
42' - LU - From a corner, centre-back Clarke rises highest, his towering header has keeper Faxon beaten, but his effort is acrobatically hooked off the line. It looked close, but the linesman was in line so I think it was the correct decision. Fine margins preventing Lincoln going 4-0 up.
43' - SF - Modest attacks down the left wing, he whips in the ball and Cutts' header flies just over the bar, another close one from the midfielder.
45' + 1' - LU - Another header from a corner, this time the effort skims just over the top of the crossbar, close!
48' - SF - Substitute McDonnell makes an immediate impact, from a deep free-kick, he heads the ball back to Baskerville on the edge of the area, he attempts a volley and it goes just wide.
51' - SF - Zottos fires in a cross from the right wing, Cutts gets to the ball first again at the far post, this time he attempts a side-footed volley, but he is wide of the mark again.
58' - SF - GOAL (3-1) - A free-kick is whipped into the box a little too close to keeper Steggles, but he fumbles from an awkward bounce and Baskerville is on hand to poach the ball and hit it into the net, could a comeback be on?
60' - SF - A cross field ball releases substitute Ndlovu (no idea if related to the legendary Peter Ndlovu), in acres of space he lines up a strike, but he puts too much in to it and it is blasted over.
66' - SF - From a long throw, Fielding plays the ball down to Zottos, he bursts into the box and powers in a low strike in at the near post, forcing a good save from the keeper.
78' - SF - GOAL (3-2) - A Coleman corner is met by the head of Fielding who rises high to head the ball in, tense times for the Lincoln United fans.
79' - SF - Cutts attempts a shot from the edge of the area, but it bananas wide of the post.
80' - SF - Two substitutes link up, Ndlovu plays in Newsham, he goes for a shot just inside the box, but it flies just wide of the post.
84' - SF - GOAL (3-3) - Sheffield FC complete a fine comeback, winger Zottos makes a run into the box and is taken out by a late challenge, the referee pointing to the spot for the second time today. Coleman steps up and absolutely leathers the ball into the roof of the net to send the Sheffield FC fans wild.
86' - LU - Liversidge picks up the ball in the middle of the park and goes on a brilliant run breaking through several challenges, he squares the ball to captain Cotton in the box, he jinks a couple of times to make space for a strike, his effort scooped away and out for a corner by keeper Faxon.
87' - LU - RED CARD - Lincoln United have a free-kick and the linesman waves offside. I was directly in-line and it was the wrong decision, although one player was indeed off, the player who actually received the ball was on and would have been through on goal. One of the Lincoln United management team, O'Halloran, took exception to this and was red carded for dissent.
91' - SF - Another fast, powerful run from Zottos from the right wing into the box ends up in a strike that is tipped over the bar for a corner.
95' - LU - Lincoln desperately probe for a late winner, with Dye going close from the left wing, the ball turned away for a corner.
96' - LU - From the corner, Cotton heads towards the goal and it is knocked away for another corner. From this, Foster rises highest, but his effort is just over, and there are no more chances for Lincoln to snatch a late winner.
Phew - what a relentless game that was, both teams went at each other hammer and tong all game. Despite Lincoln United going 3-0 up, Sheffield actually looked the better footballing side, but Lincoln were very clinical in that first half. If they managed to get the 4th goal, I think they would have sealed the victory. The game turned around after half-time, the Sheffield management clearly having a brilliant half-time talk, and the substitutes, in particular McDonnell and Ndlovu added some much needed impetus into their attack. They battered the Lincoln United goal all 2nd half and managed to claw back 3 goals to get the game to 3-3, and for a short while it looked they may get the 4th. It was only at this point that Lincoln United came alive again, and they peppered the Sheffield goal for the final 5 minutes creating chance after chance, the effort from Cotton going close, and they were unlucky for the offside call that would have released Park. But all-in-all, what a brilliant game of football and a fantastic day out, watching the oldest team in the world!
Line-Ups:
LINCOLN UNITED: Jack Steggles, Evan Payne, Kallum Smith, Shane Clarke, AJ Adelekan, Callum Foster, Tobias Liversidge, Elliott Dye, Jake Park, Matthew Cotton (C), Leo Priestly. SUBS: Pierce Hudson, Josh Wilson, Andy Janssen, Theo Mussell, Lewis Smith.
SHEFFIELD FC: Luke Faxon, Sam Greenhouse, Rory Coleman, Adam Watson (C), Joshua Burns, Reece Fielding, Stephen Brogan, Connor Cutts, Adam Baskerville, Nathan Modest, Basile Zottos. SUBS: Marc Newsham, Steven McDonnell, Benni Ndlovu, Harry Mitchell, Jamie Yates.
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