STANLEY SEETHE AT RAWSON’S RED IN LOSS TO FLYING IMPS
Coleman livid at first-half ‘penalty’
ACCRINGTON Stanley boss John Coleman was left fuming after seeing his promotion chasing side controversially beaten by in-form Lincoln.
Goals from strike partners Matt Green and Matt Rhead either side of half-time sealed the Imps’ third league win on the bounce at Sincil Bank.
But it was Lincoln’s first, a penalty, that proved the turning point in an eventful game.
Farrend Rawson was adjudged to have held back Green as he was poised to pull the trigger. Rawson was shown a straight red card before Green coolly converted the spot-kick in first-half stoppage time.
“If I didn’t love this game so much, I would pack my bags and walk away from the sport now,” said a furious Coleman.
“The standard of refereeing this season has been nothing short of appalling and it has happened again. I just get fed up with it every week.
“The penalty was the crucial turning point of the match and it clearly wasn’t a penalty. To go down to ten men was even more harsh.
“Most of the cynical challenges were actually made by Lincoln – and yet they finish the game with 11 men.
“I thought we showed commitment and desire but the second
goal killed us. It was poor defending from us but a decent finish from their lad.”
The first chance of the match dropped to the hosts on 27 minutes. Aaron Chapman failed to claim a deep free-kick and Harry Anderson’s dipping volley was brilliantly cleared off the line by Mark Hughes.
City were creating the best opportunities and were rewarded on the stroke of half-time when Green converted from the spot.
The Imps continued where they left off after the break and almost doubled their lead on 48 minutes.
Target man Matt Rhead showed tidy feet to find a pocket of space but his low drive hit the side netting. Stanley went close after 51 minutes when Jordan Clark met Sean McConville’s centre but his header looped narrowly wide. It seemed a matter of time before the game was sealed and so it proved on 57 minutes. Neal Eardley crossed the ball and there was home favourite Rhead to brilliantly cushion the ball on the inside of his boot with his first touch before volleying into the far corner of the net with his second. It was a fine way to celebrate signing a new contract earlier in the week – keeping him at Lincoln until 2019. Lincoln manager Danny Cowley said: “That’s now four wins in a row in all competitions and that is big for us because we’re new to this league and it doesn’t come easy.
“We can take some real belief from this. We’ve beaten the teams in and around us but we’ve kind of hung on to the bigger teams or narrowly lost. But this is a victory over a side I would regard as a top team.
“But we have to respect the league because it’s tough – really tough. We’ve got nine points from nine in the league and, suddenly, we’re up there. But we are also aware that two defeats on the spin and we’re back in mid-table.
“But I’m pleased because this is a great win against a strong side. The penalty looked very soft but we’ve not had much luck in that respect this season so we’ll take it.
“Matt Green and Matt Rhead are good friends so for both of them to score is exactly what we’re looking for.”