Lincoln 0 Shrewsbury Town 1 - Report

Having only won once in the season’s opening three months, they have now done it twice in the space of four days, following up Saturday’s shock success at leaders Hull with an almost equally unexpected victory at Lincoln, who had begun the night in second place.

Shaun Whalley’s 38th minute strike, his fourth goal of the season, was enough to earn Town a win which extended their unbeaten run under new boss Steve Cotterill to four matches and by the final whistle had lifted them out of the relegation zone.

The job is far from finished, of course, it has only just begun. Yet Shrewsbury are suddenly a team with upward momentum and they will head toward similarly tough tests against Sunderland and Doncaster full of confidence.

Just as against Hull, this win owed everything to a performance of determination and character. Whalley’s goal was opportunistic, pouncing on a defensive error by Imps centre-back Lewis Montsma, and it was the hosts who dominated possession.

Yet aside from one save in first-half stoppage time, Town keeper Matija Sarkic was not seriously tested in the 90 minutes, thanks to a disciplined defensive effort which started with centre-backs Ro-Shaun Williams, Ethan Ebanks-Landell and Aaron Pierre and extended through the team, with Whalley and Udoh working tirelessly to contribute to a second successive clean sheet. That was something else Town had only done once before in the league prior to Saturday.

Cotterill will no doubt demand more fluency as the matches go by but just a few weeks into the job he has laid the necessary foundations from which his team can now kick on.

Having named an unchanged line-up from the Hull victory, there was a proxy Black Country derby going on between the goalkeepers. For while Town once again had Wolves loanee Matija Sarkic, the Imps fielded Alex Palmer, currently enjoying a season-long stay from Albion, between the posts.

It was the Baggies youngster who was forced into the first real action of the match, rising through a host of players to punch away a Charlie Daniels corner delivered underneath his own crossbar.

Sarkic looked little less unsure in his early work. After almost being caught out by the pace of Lincoln striker Tom Hopper when looking to clear, he then conceded a corner after trying to shepherd the ball out of play under pressure from Jorge Grant. Anthony Scully then drove a shot across the face of goal which hit James Jones and flew wide of the upright.

Shaun Whalley registered the first effort on target for either team midway through the half when the ball fell into his path 20 yards out but while his left-footed volley was well struck, it was straight at Palmer.

Lincoln were asking most of the questions but finding the Shrewsbury backline difficult to penetrate as the visitors remained disciplined. Hopper fired in a low cross which Ro-Shaun Williams booted clear from inside his own six-yard box. Moments later, Matt Millar was in the perfect position to head away a dangerous Scully centre.

It was calamity in the home defence which then allowed Town to break the deadlock. Montsma seemed to almost have too much time on the ball 25 yards from his own goal and when put under pressure played a pass which a diving Udoh intercepted. The ball ran right into the path of Whalley who had the chance to shoot first time past the advancing Palmer but instead checked his run, avoiding the challenge of a recovering defender, before sliding low finish past the keeper and into the net.

Lincoln didn’t manage an attempt on target until first-half stoppage time, when Montsma went close to making swift amends. The defender met Anthony Scully’s corner six yards out but hit the finish straight at Sarkic, who saved with his legs.

The Imps looked far more threatening early in the second half. Brennan Johnson probably should have done better than balloon a shot over the bar from 20 yards out, before there were huge shouts for a spot-kick when first Hopper and then TJ Eyoma tumbled in the box in quick succession. Referee Craig Hicks, having surveyed the scene, promptly awarded a Shrewsbury free-kick.

Still, the pressure on the Shrewsbury goal was beginning to increase and the visitors had a lucky escape when a cross was not properly cleared and Remy Howarth sent a half volley crashing against the post with Sarkic beaten.

Johnson caused the next moment of alarm, working his way into the right-hand side of the box before hitting a shot high into the side-netting. The winger then fired over when in space outside the area.

It was increasingly backs to the wall for Town and an over-eager Williams was relieved when, having needlessly conceded a free-kick in a dangerous area 25 yards out, Jorge Grant’s effort went straight into the wall.

Whalley caused a rare moment of alarm for Palmer when he sent the keeper scrambling across goal with a 25-yard effort which sailed just wide of the post.

At the other end, Montsma became the latest home player to go over in the box as Town scrambled to clear a corner but once again referee Hicks waved away loud appeals for a spot-kick.

Teams

Lincoln: Palmer, Montsma, Edun, Jones, Hopper, Grant, Scully, Walsh, Howarth, Johnson, Eyoma (Anderson 78) Subs not used: Melbourne, Gotts, Elbouzedi, Roughan, Long (gk).

Shrewsbury (3-4-1-2): Sarkic, Williams, Ebanks-Landell, Pierre, Millar, Norburn, Goss (Edwards 75), Daniels, Vela, Whalley (Cummings 86), Udoh (Daniels 80) Subs not used: Golbourne, Tracey, Pugh, Burgoyne (gk).