Referee Andy Park had no choice other than to give the penalty, which Howe picked himself up to slot past Phil McGann. The hosts drew level before the break, as Jack McMenemy flicked on a ball delivered from the left by Leo Priestley. It landed in the far corner of Ollie Battersby’s goal, as Lincoln went into half-time on a deserved parity. On the other side of the interval, Paul Grimes smacked the woodwork. He got in between the Gainsborough defence, but rolled his shot into the base of the upright.

It was then Trinity’s turn to hit the post, as Dec Howe shot into the frame of McGann’s goal. It rebounded to former Barnsley man Jordan Helliwell, but he could only place his effort wide. There were changes a plenty on the hour mark. Kallum Smith and Callum Chapman came on for Lincoln, as Scott Helliwell switched to a back five.

For Gainsborough, Cody Collins and Kyle Simpson were among the substitutes, alongside a slew of trailists. Sisa Tuntulwana stung the palms of The Whites’ shot-stopper, as the game past 70 minutes, after cutting inside to fire a stern shot goalwards.

A few minutes later, Scott Matthews fired a shot from long-range just wide, with the game continuing its back-and-forth flow. Gainsborough Trinity had looked more disjointed since making a string of changes, but were still creating plenty of chances.

Match report by Jamie Johnson
Photos by Bryan Pye (@brypyephotography)