Two first half goals in as many minutes from Tyler Walker saw Fleetwood Town lose out 2-0 to newly promoted Lincoln City on Saturday afternoon.
Despite Town having their fair share of possession in the opening half an hour, it was the hosts who took the lead from Walker after Toffolo’s cross on the left hand side. The Nottingham Forest loanee doubled the score line just a minute later after a nice calm finish from close range.
Joey Barton’s side again threw caution to the wind in the second half, but failed to beat City goalkeeper Josh Vickers, and return back to the Fylde Coast without anything to show for their efforts.
It was a quick start to the game in Lincolnshire, with Josh Morris having the first shot of the game. However he saw his effort hit Harrison Biggins, with the former Scunthorpe man’s shot looking goal bound.
The host’s midfielder Jack Payne – who spent last season on loan at Bradford City – worked the ball well on the right side and when he wriggled through Danny Andrew, he managed to pick out Harry Anderson, whose header at goal was comfortable for Matt Gilks between the sticks.
Payne was the man Town had to watch, and when he again got past the back four he looked to pull the trigger, only to be denied by Harry Souttar who dived across the box to get a toe to deflect it out for a corner.
The first goal came from Walker, who headed home from Toffolo’s cross into the Fleetwood penalty area. A goal which the home side hardly deserved given the run of play.
With Town still recovering from that setback, Walker doubled his side’s lead when a long ball over the top beat Souttar and Peter Clarke, with the forward was there to slot the ball under Gilks’ legs and into the back of the net.
Lincoln had the impetus heading into the break, and could have made it three with a set-piece 20 yards out from goal, but Jorge Grant’s effort could only hit the defensive wall.
Barton made one change at the break and that saw Clarke be replaced by forward Ched Evans.
There was little change in the pattern of the game, and when Ash Hunter was introduced he seemed to inject a bit of pace and intensity into Town’s attacks and with a quick cross into the box, Madden was there – however he couldn’t direct his header goal wards.
Andrew had Fleetwood’s first shot on target in the second half with his free-kick, but Vickers was there to match the full back and parry his effort out for a corner.
Town grew as the referee’s watch ticked towards the 90 minute mark, and when Jordan Rossiter looked to curl one goal wards, he had Vickers there to prevent him from pulling one back for the away side.
Kyle Dempsey was introduced into the fray at Sincil Bank, for his first appearance for the club since December last year. However, he, nor the rest of the team, could pull a goal back to make it an interesting finale, and Fleetwood leave the newly promoted Imps without any points.
Lincoln XI: Vickers (GK), Toffolo, Shackell, Payne, Bostwick, Walker (Akinde 70’), Grant (Andrade 75’), Morrell, Connolly (O’Connor 75’), Eardley, Anderson.
Sub not used: Smith (GK), Bolger, Chapman, Lewis.
Town XI: Gilks (GK), Coyle, Andrew, Clarke (Evans 46’), Souttar, Burns, Morris, Coutts ©, Rossiter (Dempsey 77’), Madden, Biggins (Hunter 54’).
Subs not used: Cairns (GK), Eastham, Wallace, Sheron.