City came within a whisker of ending table-topping Hartlepool's 19-match unbeaten run on Friday evening with a stoppage-time penalty from Richie Barker forcing them to settle for a point, having taken an early lead through Paul Green.

Green had drilled City in front with a fine 20 yard drive in the seventh minute and the Imps played some magnificent football when given the chance whilst some excellent defending kept the hosts at bay - until added time.

The decision looked harsh to say the least but once Mr Shoebridge waved away City's protests, up stepped Richie Barker, who missed and scored from the spot against the Imps for Mansfield earlier in the season, to drill home emphatically from 12 yards.

Jamie Forrester chips a late effort onto the crossbar

Match report by John Vickers at Victoria Park:

Nat Brown, back from a one-match ban, replaced the suspended Lee Beevers for this Friday night Coca-Cola League 2 fixture at in-form leaders Hartlepool United.

Whilst that was the only change to the starting XI, there were three amendments to the bench with fit again Paul Mayo, first year MASE student Gary King and new loan goalkeeper Robert Olejnik joining Owain Warlow and Ollie Ryan.

City were up against a Hartlepool side who went into the game boasting a tremendous run of 17 wins and two draws from their last 19 League 2 games. Could the Imps be the team to upset the applecart?

A large crowd was in Victoria Park as referee Rob Shoebridge got proceedings underway with the hosts kicking off on a surface which looked to be decent underfoot.

Pools were first to press with Mr Shoebridge awarding them a free-kick 30 yards from goal in the third minute after Ryan Amoo was harshly adjudged to have pushed his man. Ritchie Humphreys fired straight at Alan Marriott from the set-piece though.

In fact the game was littered with stoppages in the early stages - all going Hartlepool's way - but when the game was allowed to carry on in its seventh minute, City produced a move of top quality to open up the home defence.

The Imps spread the ball from side to side in a bid to get behind the Hartlepool back line and, after the move saw a Nicky Eaden cross only half headed clear, there was PAUL GREEN to fire a rasping drive from 20 yards past the fingertips of Dimitrios Konstantopoulos for his first goal in City colours.

Almost immediately and with the home fans silenced, Dany N'Guessan dragged a shot wide as the Imps pressed for a second whilst the offside flag denied both Lee Frecklington and N'Guessan a run on goal. Both decisions were slightly questionable to say the least!

When another City passage of play in the 17th minute ended with Ryan Amoo sliding in late on Antony Sweeney, referee Shoebridge brandished the game's first yellow card once play came to a halt after the Derbyshire official allowed play to carry on.

Two minutes later Adie Moses conceded the first corner of the game after the ball bobbled out off his knee; Nat Brown flicking the resultant flag-kick out before Alan Marriott claimed the next ball in.

Whilst City looked to pass the ball around, the home side were going with the more direct route and, as the half reached its midway point, Jamie Forrester forced City's first corner. The set-piece was taken to the near post by Frecklington and flicked on by Moses but Konstantopoulos was there to claim.

A break down the left by City then ended with Forrester being penalised for handball, although the pass forward from N'Guessan seed to come off his knee. Hartlepool's response saw Andy Monkhouse test Alan Marriott from range whilst a second Pools corner came to nothing.

This saw the hosts enjoy their first real spell of pressure with another corner just after the half-hour mark being well defended by the Imps' back-line whilst a trip on Monkhouse by Eaden gave the men in blue and white a chance from a free-kick on their left. Nat Brown rose majestically though to clear Humphreys' delivery.

City then had a great chance to double their advantage after Frecklington had intercepted a weak Michael Nelson clearance. The midfielder broke forward before feeding Forrester and when he played the ball in, the home defence hurriedly cleared behind.

The corner flicked a home head before being nodded off the line by Humphreys and when Pools responded, great defending from Moses saw him slide in to deny former Mansfield Town man Richie Barker a run on goal.

In the 42nd minute Lee Bullock replaced Antony Sweeney for the home side, presumably a switch due to injury rather than tactics, and once the following three minites had elapsed the Fourth Official indicated than just the one added minute was to be added.

These 60 extra seconds passed without incident so the Imps went into the break a goal to the good courtesy of Paul Green's early strike.

HT: HARTLEPOOL UNITED 0 IMPS 1

With no further changes made at the break, City got the second period underway attacking the end behind which sat their loyal band of travelling fans.

City were quick to press shortly after the restart with Jamie Forrester breaking down the left befo being denied by the backtracking Ritchie Humphreys whilst Pools' response saw Nicky Eaden upend Andy Monkhouse. Another towering header from Nat Brown saw him clear Humphreys' set-piece.

As was the case during the opening period, the Imps were quick to close down the home side once they had the ball but from a rare occasion when the home side were allowed to break forward, James Brown fired across the face of the goal from a narrowing angle with only Alan Marriott to beat.

Shortly afterwards a great saving challenge from Brown saw him deny Barker, his challenge leading to a corner as the home crowd raised the tempo. Marriott claimed the subsequent delivery though to quieten the natives a touch.

An injury to home skipper Micky Barron saw him receive treatment before the Imps could take a throw-in on the half-way line; the challenge between him and Jeff Hughes which led to the throw leading to the stoppage.

Hartlepool won their fifth corner of the game in the 63rd minute and when Humphreys swung the ball in some brave defending kept the hosts at bay. Brown again the man in the centre of things, getting in another timely interception on the six-yard line.

Barron then left a foot in on Hughes as the pair went for another loose ball with Michael Wait being brought on for the first time in the game to administer the necessary treatment. City were awarded a free-kick but Barron escaped punishment.

Hughes was in the wars again as the half reached its half-way point, Gary Liddle this time leaving his foot in on the Northern Ireland international. Before the free-kick could be taken, Eifion Williams made way for David Foley for the home side.

Three minutes later Barker headed a foot wide and when Pools pushed forward again Scott Kerr was harshly penalised for a foul midway in the City half. That man Brown was there again though to repel the danger when the free-kick was played in.

N'Guessan was then yellow carded for persistent infringement after he slipped before accidentally tripping Humphreys. The game then entered its final quarter of an hour.

The big Frenchman then tested Konstantopoulos from the edge of the box with a left-footed drive before Barron joined him in the book for a late challenge on Kerr - one of many from the right-back during the course of the game.

With 10 minutes remaining Pools' boss Danny Wilson made a third and final change with Ali Gibb coming on for Andy Monkhouse. Shortly afterwards, Brown somehow got his head in the way of a Liddle drive.

Play immediately switched to the other end with a neat City move ending with Jamie Forrester cutting inside his man before lobbing Konstantopoulos only for the ball to clip the crossbar before going behind for a goal kick.

Hartlepool replied by winning a corner and when Humphreys swung the ball in it was powerfully nodded goalwards by Liddle only for Scott Kerr to be well positioned to hack the ball off the line.

It was backs to the wall stuff now for the men in black and red with the home side constantly pumping the ball forward towards the edge of the Imps' penalty area. As the game entered its final couple of minutes of normal time, N'Guessan made way for Paul Mayo, who slotted into a holding role in front of the back line.

Good work from Frecklington then saw him swing in a cross which Forrester stretched before colliding with Konstantopoulos. Once he got back to his feet he limped off to be replaced by Owain Warlow.

The game was now in its second minute of added time and when the home side played the ball forward again, referee Shoebridge took centre stage when the home crowd's appeals for handball against Brown were rewarded with a penalty.

The decision looked harsh to say the least and once Mr Shoebridge waved away City's protests, up stepped RICHIE BARKER, who missed and scored from the spot against the Imps for Mansfield earlier in the season, to drill home emphatically from 12 yards.

It was cruel luck on the Imps who had come within a whisker of ending table-topping Hartlepool's 19-match unbeaten run, although they still had to endure a total of five and a half added minutes before the final whistle went.

FT: HARTLEPOOL 1 IMPS 1

MATCH FACTS

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

subs
3 Paul MAYO (for N'GUESSAN 89)
20 Owain WARLOW (for FORRESTER 90+1)
18 Ollie RYAN
33 Gary KING
21 Robert OLEJNIK

GOAL: GREEN (7)

BOOKINGS: AMOO (17), N'GUESSAN (74)

HARTLEPOOL UNITED
1 Dimitrios KONSTANTOPOULOS
2 Micky BARRON
5 Michael NELSON
6 Ben CLARK
8 Ritchie HUMPHREYS
20 James BROWN
15 Antony SWEENEY
18 Gary LIDDLE
35 Andy MONKHOUSE
10 Richie BARKER
11 Eifion WILLIAMS

subs
16 Lee BULLOCK (for SWEENEY 42)
28 David FOLEY (for WILLIAMS 69)
24 Ali GIBB (for MONKHOUSE 80)
4 Mark TINKLER
21 Jim PROVETT

GOAL: BARKER (90+3 pen)

BOOKING: BARRON (79)

REFEREE: Rob Shoebridge (Derbyshire)
ASSISTANTS: Ken Haycock & David Storrie
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Alf Greenwood

ATTENDANCE: 6,903 (436 City supporters)