Shrewsbury 0 Lincoln 1 - Report

Lincoln left it late until the 79th minute to fire in the opener and inflict defeat on Shrewsbury, in a game which saw a closely contested battle between the two sides.

Town boss Matt Taylor named an unchanged side from the 2-1 win against Burton Albion on Tuesday with this Shrewsbury’s fifth match in 15 days since the season began.

Moreover, Town summer signing Max Mata had received clearance from the Home Office to play, however the 23-year-old New Zealand international who joined from Sligo Rovers earlier this month was absent after picking up a calf injury in training on Thursday.

Taylor’s side enjoyed the majority of possession early on and gave their opponents no time on the ball - pressing to win it back when they had lost it.

Taylor Perry was the first to test the Lincoln goal, but fired high and wide in the 12th minute following a Town corner on the left.

Meanwhile, Reeco Hackett was off-target with the away side’s first attempt on goal before Jordan Shipley fired straight into the wall with his free-kick effort after seeing his name in referee Ross Joyce’s book.

Ryan Bowman was unable to convert with his toe-poke effort, likewise to Perry who was presented with the best opportunity of the game just after the half-hour mark. The midfielder latched onto Daniel Udoh’s over-the-top ball and cut on to his right foot before firing at Lukas Jensen in goal.

The Salop fans urged their side on and Udoh tried his luck with an effort from outside the box, but the forward continued the first-half running theme, and was unable to test the Lincoln goal.

The sides entered the break with nothing between them. After the break, Ethan Hamilton forced a diving save from Marko Marosi before captain Chey Dunkley’s header into the ground was held by Jensen.

Joe Anderson would’ve had his heart in his mouth as he slipped over and offered Lasse Sorensen an opportunity to give Lincoln the lead, but the wing-back’s shot was saved by Marosi who was solid when called into action.

Salop we’re then nearly caught napping from a Lincoln City 77th-minute free-kick, but survived as Adam Jackson headed wide.

But, the pressure Salop succumbed too became too much in the end as Hamilton fired into the bottom-right corner in the 79th-minute to give the Imps the lead. Taylor’s side were unable to clear the ball from the box and as a result found themselves behind.

Salop looked to claw themselves back into the game and fuel some late optimism, but their 88th-minute corner found only Jensen’s gloves.

And, Matt Taylor was left frustrated from the sidelines as Salop weren’t able to find the deadly pass in the final-third and fell to their first defeat of the season.

Teams

Shrewsbury Town: Marosi, Anderson, Feeney, Dunkley, Winchester, Perry, Kenneh (Sobowale 83), Shipley, Bayliss (Watts 88), Bowman, Udoh

Subs: Burgoyne, Benning, Sobowale, Bennett, Hernes, Flanagan, Watts

Lincoln City: Jensen, O’Connor, Jackson, Roughan, Sorensen, Hamilton (Smith 80) , Erhahon, Burroughs, Hackett, Walker (House 60) , Mandroiu (Bishop 60)

Subs: Wright, Brown, Smith, Bishop, Duffy, House, Mitchell

Attendance - 5,602