KNOCK-OUT BLOW FROM ACE BRUNO
DANNY Cowley’s joy at reaching the second round was tempered by the manner of the goals Lincoln conceded in their defeat of Northampton.
The Imps went through following a thrilling tussle with the in-form Cobblers, who fought back after Harry Anderson and Tom Pett had put the League Two leaders 2-0 up.
Goals from Town pair Jack Bridge and Kevin van Veen looked to have taken the tie to a replay until Bruno Andrade’s spectacular winner in the second minute of added time.
While delighted to progress and go into a two-week break from action on a high, Cowley was frustrated with the way City allowed Northampton to get back into the game.
“I’m pleased to win and pleased to get through, but I’m disappointed to concede the two goals we did in a game we had total control of,” said Cowley.
“You won’t win many football matches unless we defend better than we have done recently. It’s something we’ve got to look at.
“The first one was a terrible goal from us, a run of mistakes and then Josh [Vickers] should save it. We had such control of the game, that’s what’s really frustrating, against a good team. If we were a really good team, we would have won that 3-0.
“We’ve ended up winning it 3-2, which shows we’re still a work in progress.”
After a quiet opening, the tie sprang to life after 16 minutes as the Imps took the lead. Andrade sent in a low cross from the left and Anderson got across his marker to fire into the net.
The second goal arrived after 52 minutes when the ball dropped to Pett just outside the box and he rifled home.
The two-goal lead lasted barely three minutes as Town gave themselves a lifeline when Bridge fired into the net. And Town restored parity when Van Veen turn sharply before shooting into the roof of the net.
But Andrade’s great strike sent the Imps through.Town sub Junior Morias was sent off at the end of added time following an offthe-ball incident involving Pett.
Despite the defeat, Town scorers Bridge and Van Veen insisted they could take heart from the performance. Bridge said: “We’ll take a lot of positives from the fightback in the second half.
“We’ve just got to take that into the league and the cup [the Checkatrade Trophy] that we’re left in.” Reflecting on Town outstanding league form under Keith Curle, Van Veen added: “The last few weeks have been amazing. Since this gaffer came in, a lot of things have been turned. “Today we looked like winning the game, so there’s a lot of positives to take from it.”