City slipped to their second successive home reverse on Saturday with near neighbours Mansfield Town emerging as 2-1 victors at Sincil Bank Stadium.

The Imps, who had Lee Beevers sent off for a second bookable offence just after the hour mark, found chances at a premium throughout the 90 minutes

City had trailed to a 15th minute Barry Conlon penalty after Beevers had been harshly adjudged to have elled Nathan Arnold in the box - his good old fashioned shoulder charge seeing referee David Foster point to the spot before booking Beevers.

The Stags doubled their advantage six minutes into the second half when Arnold slotted in a Simon Brown centre and when Beevers saw red after upending Brown, City's task was made more difficult.

Substitute Owain Warlow set up Forrester for his 74th minute effort but despite pushing me forward, the leveller proved elusive.

Match report by John Vickers at Sincil Bank Stadium:

Injuries, illness and suspension forced Head Coach John Schofield to make three changes to his side for this Coca-Cola League 2 game against Mansfield Town at Sincil Bank with Nat Brown, Paul Morgan and Mark Stallard all absent.

In came Adie Moses, Paul Green and Dany N'Guessan with Moses slotting into centre-back alongside Lee Beevers, Green in at left-back and N'Guessan up front alongside Jamie Forrester.

The playing surface looked soft under foot as the game got underway and the Imps were first to press, forcing a succession of throw-ins only for the Stags to respond by winning the game's first corner.

The clock was in its fourth minute when the flag-kick came in but when it fell to Jonathan D'Laryea 25 yards out he promptly fired out for a throw-in rather than get in a shot on target.

City's response saw Dany N'Guessan win a free-kick which led to a corner after Ryan Amoo's effort took a deflection but after Lee Frecklington was given a second chance to float the ball in after his initial effort had been nodded behind, a ball back in from Nicky Eaden went out for a goal kick.

At the other end Nathan Arnold fired over from the edge of the box but City quickly replied with Jamie Forrester forcing the third corner of the game; Frecklington's subsequent delivery being well claimed by Stags' goalkeeper Jason White though.

Play switched to the other end though with Arnold and Lee Beevers both sprinting for a loose ball forward. Good back tracking from Beevers saw him cat up with Arnold but when the pair went shoulder-to-shoulder the Mansfield man went to ground.

It was a good old-fashioned shoulder charge from Beevers which led to rnold hitting the deck but such is the nature of the game these days that rookie referee David Foster deemed the challenge to unfair and blew for a penalty.

Before the spot-kick could be taken, Beevers was shown a yellow card, and when Mr Foster was ready, up stepped BARRY CONLON to calmly slot the ball past Alan Marriott.

City looked for a quick response and, after good work from N'Guessan down the left, Hughes twisted and turned his way past a couple of defenders before firing wide with his right foot.

The game seemed to be littered with free-kicks as the half reached its midway point, the majority going in the favour of the Stags, whilst a knock to Scott Kerr saw him receive treatment from physio Michael Wait before he trudged off holding his side.

Kerr was straight back into things but it was his midfield colleague Frecklington who made a great break forward in the 33rd minute before being felled in the box as he prepared to pull the trigger from 15 yards. Play-on waved Mr Foster and as Mansfield cleared their lines, Adie Moses was booked for a foul on Simon Brown.

Two minutes later N'Guessan's name added to the Tyne & Wear official's notebook after the Frenchman was hashly punished for persistent fouling. A City break forward was then halted after the referee spotted a push by Hughes with the man in black quite rightly earning a chorus of boos as he carried on with his picky decision-making.

As the half-time whistle approached, an Amoo centre was deflected behind for a corner but the Stags' back line cleared when Frecklington played the ball in. Two minutes of added time was then indicated by the Fourth Official. These came and went without incident.

HT: IMPS 0 MANSFIELD 1

Both sides emerged unchanged for the start of the second period and it was the Imps who were first to press with Nicky Eaden winning a corner 90 seconds after the restart.

Frecklington whipped the flag-kick in but the loose ball wouldn't fall to a man in red and white and as Mansfield replied, Nathan Arnold was denied by Alan Marriott with the visiting striker going for goal rather than squaring to Barry Conlon who was in space to his left.

Five minutes later, ARNOLD found himself in the right place at the right time as Mansfield went on the counter-attack. The move forward came after the Stags had cleared a City free-kick and after Simon Brown had brought the ball forward, he slotted it into the path of Arnold who calmly beat Marriott to double the visitors' advantage.

City replied by winning another corner only for Frecklington's near post delivery to be intercepted whilst one on the other side was fired into the side-netting by the Imps' midfielder.

At the other end Brown fired into the side netting after wrong-footing Adie Moses but, just after the hour mark had passed, City's cause wasn't helped when they were reduced to 10 men for the second successive home game.

The sending off came after Brown came inside Beevers and whilst the challenge from the City man was clumsy, it was hardly a cautionable offence but referee Martin thought otherwise and, after a second yellow was brandished in his direction, out came the red.

Three minutes after this 61st minute dismissal, Spencer Weir-Daley replaced Dany N'Guessan up front for City and whilst the Imps regrouped Mansfield won a corner which was easily cleared.

Two more Stags corner gave them a chance to grab a third in the 70th minute but City kept them out well whilst a couple of minutes later Lee Frecklington made was for Owain Warlow.

Shortly after this switch Forrester won a corner after being set up by Warlow but Amoo's deep centre wasn't kept in by Weir-Daley. Matt Hamshaw then replaced Simon Brown for the visitors.

Hamshaw hadn't had chance to touch the ball before City attacked and, for the first time of the afternoon, they made it count. Tenacious play from Scott Kerr in midfield saw him win possession before spraying the ball out to Warlow on the left. Good vision from Warlow then saw him lay the ball back to JAMIE FORRESTER who planted a firm drive past White for his 17th of the season.

Hughes then tested White from range as City pushed for a leveller whilst treatment to John Mullins with nine minutes on the clock gave Mansfield a chance to calm things down.

Kerr then had a shot blocked by Jake Buxton before Weir-Daley went down in the box before Jon Olav Hjelde came on for Mullins for the visitors. The clock was now in its 87th minute.

A couple of minutes later Barry Conlon then made way for Michael Boulding asthe visitors ate a few more seconds up. Five minutes of added time was then indicated.

Ninety seconds into added time Ollie Ryan was thrown on for Paul Green as Head Coach John Schofield went all-out attack for an equaliser but the seconds quickly slipped away for the men in red and white.

FT: IMPS 1 MANSFIELD 2

MATCH FACTS

LINCOLN CITY
1 Alan MARRIOTT
12 Nicky EADEN
2 Lee BEEVERS
4 Adie MOSES
6 Paul GREEN
7 Lee FRECKLINGTON
11 Scott KERR
14 Ryan AMOO
24 Jeff HUGHES
8 Dany N'GUESSAN
22 Jamie FORRESTER

subs
34 Spencer WEIR-DALEY (for N'GUESSAN 64)
20 Owain WARLOW (for FRECKLINGTON 72)
18 Ollie RYAN (for GREEN 90+2)
26 Shane CLARKE
30 Phil WATT

GOAL: FORRESTER (74)

BOOKINGS: BEEVERS (14), MOSES (33), N'GUESSAN (35), KERR (90+)

SENDING OFF: BEEVERS (61)

MANSFIELD TOWN
1 Jason WHITE
2 ohn MULLINS
3 Gareth JELLEYMAN
4 Jonathan D'LARYEA
6 Alex JOHN-BAPTISTE
10 Simon BROWN
8 Stephen DAWSON
12 Jake BUXTON
9 Barry CONLON
14 Bryan HODGE
16 Nathan ARNOLD

subs
7 Matthew HAMSHAW (for BROWN 73)
5 Jon Olav HJELDE (for MULLINS 87)
11 Michael BOULDING (for CONLON 90)
31 Danny REET
19 Carl MUGGLETON

GOALS: CONLON (15 pen), ARNOLD (51)

MATCH OFFICIALS

REFEREE: David Foster (Tyne & Wear)
ASSISTANTS: Mark Hutchinson & Craig Pawson
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Wayne Grunnill

ATTENDANCE: 5,316 (1,040 visiting supporters)