Bridlington Town 1 v 3 Lincoln United
Mike Thompson was left disappointed with his side’s showing against Lincoln United, when they continued their poor start to the new year with a 3-1 defeat at home.
Two changes were made to the starting lineup, as key player Will Sutton returned from suspension and Joe Norton came in – the first time Town have started with a front two all season.
A superb start to the game saw the Seasiders take the lead after just two minutes. After keeping the ball well on the edge of the penalty area, the ball was spread to the left flank. A superb ball perfectly found Norton at the back post, who headed us into the lead.
After a tricky first 20 minutes, the visitors worked their way into the game, earning a corner. It was whipped in from the left and their man was allowed a free header at the back post, but he couldn’t convert. The ball was recycled but Shane Clarke’s powerful strike was wide.
Two minutes later, veteran left-back Kallum Smith unleashed a powerful strike from the left side of the penalty area, which flew into the right hand side of the net, giving James Hitchcock no chance.
After half-an-hour, Hitchcock was forced into a brilliant save when Tayo Alexander-Tucker, who looked incredibly dangerous all afternoon, curled an effort towards the right side of the goal.
Shortly after, centre back Callum Foster gave Lincoln United the lead with a looping header from the left hand side.
A mix-up in the midfield allowed Lincoln skipper Matthew Cotton to be played through in space, but Hitchcock saved well one-on-one, bringing Bridlington Town into the break behind after a disappointing half.
Despite Lewis Dennison hitting the post early into the second half, the hosts began the second half in a similar manner to how the first ended.
The Whites lead was doubled after 54 minutes, when a cross from the left found Jake Park, who beat his man to the ball and fired past Hitchcock at close range.
It was another let off for Bridlington, as the defence switched off and Park beat the offside trap, but he hit it straight at Hitchcock one-on-one.
Just a minute later, Dennison found himself with a massive chance at the back post for the hosts, but it was missed.
With three minutes of regular time remaining, Ali Aydemir whipped in a free kick from the right flank and found Jack Bulless at the back post, but it was saved. The ball came back into the penalty area, and Jack Steggles did well to get a hand to Dennison’s acrobatic effort.
This proved to be the final chance of the game, seeing Lincoln United win 3-1 and take home all three points. The seasiders will be looking for an improved performance in their long away trip to Long Eaton United on Tuesday night.
