Relegation looms large following home reverse
BRISTOL ROV LINCOLN CITY 0 1
BRISTOL Rovers slid to the brink of relegation as they were beaten at home by Sky Bet League One play-off hopefuls Lincoln City.
Anthony Scully’s 16th-minute goal was enough for the fourth-placed Imps, while Ed Upson’s first-half red card saw the hosts play the final 54 minutes with ten men.
Rovers went close to a goal inside a minute when Alfie Kilgour’s header hit the crossbar, but they were soon behind as Scully linked brilliantly with Brennan Johnson to unlock the defence. The winger finished the chance coolly from a narrow angle.
Joey Barton’s side were then left with a mountain to climb when midfielder Upson got tangled in a melee with Johnson and Tayo Edun.
The Rovers man had Johnson pinned to the floor before Edun got involved too. Will Finnie gave Upson a straight red card, while the Lincoln duo received bookings.
Rovers huffed and puffed in the second half, but the opportunities did not come.
Lincoln should have extended their lead, but Morgan Rogers and Callum Morton spurned gilt-edged openings in stoppage-time.
Rovers boss Barton said of Upson’s sending-off: “I didn’t expect a red card if I’m honest, I thought it was handbags and, if there was going to be a red card then I expected it to be their number seven (Edun), who threw two punches.
“The linesman on my side is telling the referee that it’s only a yellow card, but the referee says that Ed’s is a red card and I can’t see it.
“I spoke to Ed in there and you all know he’s not that type of boy and I didn’t see enough to give a red card, but we’ve come out the bad side of that decision again.”
On the game in general, the 38-year-old added: “We were a bit unlucky early on, Alfie’s effort hitting the crossbar.
“We’ve got a great keeper in goal (Anssi Jaakkola) who kept us in the game in key moments, but you’ve got to try to make him do as little work as possible.
“If you’re under pressure against good sides then I get it, there are going to be moments when the teams at the top of the League have you under pressure. There was a moment, though, where we were in control of the game and we’ve not defended properly and we found ourselves 1-0 down in the game and the sending-off compounds the problem. The sooner we can stop these silly moments, the better.”
With relegation rivals Wimbledon and Wigan having both won their last three matches, Rovers now lie six points shy of safety with just four matches remaining.
While they have home games to come against MK Dons and Crewe, sides with seemingly little to play for, Rovers’ remaining away matches are at Portsmouth and Blackpool, two teams right in the thick of the battle to reach the play-offs, leaving their survival as a monumental ask.
Rovers: Jaakkola, Williams, Kilgour, Harries, Hare (Hanlan 46), Martinez (Baldwin 85), Upson, McCormick, Leahy, Westbrooke (Oztumer 76), Ayunga. Not Used: Day, Hargreaves, Tutonda, Walker.
Sent Off: Upson (36).
Booked: Jaakkola, Leahy, McCormick, Baldwin.
Lincoln: Palmer, Poole, Montsma, Eyoma, Bramall, McGrandles, Edun (Jones 55), Scully (Sanders 69), Johnson (Anderson 82), Rogers, Morton. Not Used: Howarth, Roughan, Long, Cann.
Booked: Edun, Johnson, Poole.
Goals: Scully 16.
Referee: Will Finnie (Bedfordshire).