An 80th minute goal from Brentford substitute Sammy Moore condemned the Imps to another defeat on their travels on Saturday afternoon.

The decisive goal came when a very quickly taken free-kick caught the City defence out and after debutant Lewis Emanuel swung the ball in to the back post, in stooped substitute Sammy Moore to head home.

Prior to that the game had been a pretty even affair with Lee Frecklington and Lee Beevers coming close for City whilst Alan Connell hit the woodwork for the hosts. The nearest either side came to adding to the tally after Moore's goal was when Glenn Poole struck the post with a 25-yard free-kick.

Match report by John Vickers at Griffin Park:

Caretaker boss Grant Brown was forced to shuffle his defensive pack around for this Coca-Cola League 2 encounter against Brentford at Griffin Park with Nat Brown and Adie Moses both ruled out through injury.

Brown failed to recover from a knock to his knee sustained during last Saturday's 1-1 draw against Peterborough United whilst Moses ricked his neck during training on Friday. Neither player travelled to the game.

The absence of the two centre-backs saw loanee Hamza Bencherif return alongside Lee Beevers whilst Paul Green moved inside to complete the back three. Green's switch saw Ryan Amoo return at right wing-back whilst teenager Danny Hone was named amongst the substitutes.

Light drizzle was in their air as the teams made their way out on to the pitch, led by the man in change for the afternoon, Karl Evans, in his first year on the Football League list of officials.

The hosts kicked off but, after playing the ball back to 'keeper Simon Brown, who made one disastrous performance for the Imps in a 5-1 defeat at Peterborough almost 10 years ago, City almost took the lead with just 15 seconds on the clock as Louis Dodds chased down his clearance. Unfortunately though the ball fizzed the wrong side of the post and hopes of a fortuitous opener evaporated.

City's next attack came five minutes later only for it to be brought to an abrupt halt as skipper Scott Kerr was left grounded by a late challenge on the right. His free-kick came to nothing, however, but the Imps kept pressing in a bid to make an early breakthrough.

Brentford responded to this early pressure with Alan Connell seeing his 25-yard drive clip Paul Green before going over the bar for a corner. The flag-kick ended with John Mackie sending an overhead kick well over.

Glenn Poole then fizzed a centre across the six-yard box and Hamza Bencherif had to be on his toes to clear a ball in from the right out for a corner as the Bees enjoyed a spell of pressure. This corner was met by the head of Mackie but he sent his effort straight at Alan Marriott.

A clash of heads between Bencherif and Matt Heywood then saw the City man require treatment in his own area before he returned to the fray unscathed.

In the 25th minute, good defending from Bencherif saw him block a Connell effort before Charlie Ide dragged the loose ball wide. Former City striker Lee Thorpe then sent a tame effort well wide as the Imps were forced on the defensive again.

It remained a pretty scrappy affair though with neither side able to take the game by the scruff of the neck. City tried to do just that just before the half-hour mark though with Dodds forcing a corner. Kerr had two goes to swing the ball in and after the second one saw him pick out Lee Beevers, Brown emerged with the ball in his gloves, although he seemed to know nothing about the effort at goal.

Some neat build-up play through the middle of the pitch from the Imps ended with Frecklington slicing wide from 20 yards whilst Brentford's reply saw them force their third corner of the game, eight minutes before the interval.

Three minutes later a quickly-taken throw-in by Ben Wright to Scott Kerr saw the latter find Frecklington who couldn't get the ball under control and it went behind for a goal-kick whilst Dodds was unlucky to see a miscued clearance from Lewis Emanuel squirm away from him as he prepared to fire goalwards.

One added minute came and went without incident so it was as you were at the beginning as the teams made their way back to the dressing rooms for their respective team talks.

HT: BRENTFORD 0 IMPS 0

Neither side made any changes during the break and it was the Imps who got the second half underway, attacking the end behind which was their noisy band of travelling supporters.

City were quick to press with Frecklington having a shot blocked on the edge of the box whilst a couple of Amoo crosses were hurriedly cleared by the home defence, whose response saw Poole fire a long range drive wide of the target.

A Craig Pead free-kick then flew through a packed penalty area as the Bees pressed again whilst for the following 10 minutes or so minutes City were forced to chase things a bit as Brentford enjoyed their best spell of the game

The Imps stood firm though, although they were finding it difficult to retain possession once it went into the Brentford half, although referee Evans was being far from generous when it came to awarding City decisions as Wright and Dodds were constantly barged in the back by Mackie and Heywood.

Mackie was in the centre of things midway though the second half as, along with Frecklington, he required treatment following an accidental clash of heads as the due went up for a ball in the home penalty area. Both players were fortunately alright to continue.

In the 71st minute, the home side won the first corner of the second period but Thorpe was pulled up for a push as the ball came in. Before Marriott could take the free-kick, the hosts made a double switch with Ross Montague and Sammy Moore coming on for Charlie Ide and Thorpe.

Shortly afterwards it took a great saving challenge from Pead to deny Kerr a run on goal whilst at the other end Marriott tipped a Connell header onto the post before the ball bounced to safety.

Marriott then palmed a Pead volley behind before punching the corner clear whilst another high ball into the City box ended up with Mackie firing into the side netting.

Frecklington and Ben Starosta then tussled as the City man looked to break forward before having his shirt pulled. Referee Evans failed to spot it though and when the ball ran out of play he had words with both players to prevent any 'afters'.

Mr Evans did give a free-kick 10 minutes before time though - for a foul by Wright on Pead. The set-piece was taken very quickly and perhaps with a moving ball and it caught City out down their left. Then, when the ball was swung towards the back post by Emanuel, in stooped substitute Sammy Moore to break the deadlock.

Steve Torpey then replaced Wright up front whilst Dany N'Guessan was thrown on for Gary Croft with four minutes remaining as Grant Brown went all out attack in a bid to get something from the game.

City pressed forward with Kerr forcing a corner on the right but the skipper wasted the opportunity, drilling his low flag-kick straight at Starosta at the near post. Frecklington, at full stretch, then headed wide after Torpey nodded the ball into his path.

In the first of four minutes of added time, Adrian Pettigrew came on for Craig Pead for the hosts, who had just been awarded a free-kick 25 yards from goal. Pooe set his sights from the set-piece and with Marriott rooted to the spot, the ball crashed against the post before hitting the City 'keeper on the back and out for a corner.

Marriott then pumped a City free-kick into the mix and after Torpey won the ball, Dodds saw his shot blocked for a corner. This was swung in to the back post where N'Guessan forced another but when the ball was played back in Beevers saw his goalbound header easily saved by Brown.

This proved to be the final action of the game and at the final whistle the City players were quick to pay referee Evans a visit to question his decision to allow the quickly taken free-kick that lead to the goal to stand. The damage had been done though with the Imps slipping to a narrow defeat.

FT: BRENTFORD 1 IMPS 0

MATCH FACTS

LINCOLN CITY
1 Alan MARRIOTT
14 Ryan AMOO
3 Gary CROFT
2 Paul GREEN
5 Lee BEEVERS
25 Hamza BENCHERIF
7 Lee FRECKLINGTON
11 Scott KERR
26 Jamie HAND
15 Ben WRIGHT
19 Louis DODDS

subs
10 Steve TORPEY (for WRIGHT 82)
17 Dany N'GUESSAN (for CROFT 86)
18 Ollie RYAN
20 Owain WARLOW
27 Danny HONE

BRENTFORD
1 Simon BROWN
2 Kevin O'CONNOR
3 Lewis EMANUEL
5 John MACKIE
8 Craig PEAD
9 Lee THORPE
10 Alan CONNELL
11 Glenn POOLE
15 Matt HEYWOOD
16 Charlie IDE
25 Ben STAROSTA

subs
23 Ross MONTAGUE (for IDE 72)
4 Sammy MOORE (for THORPE 72)
26 Adrian PETTIGREW (for PEAD 90+1)
29 Ricky SHAKES
21 Clark MASTERS

GOAL: MOORE (80)

REFEREE: Karl Evans (Greater Manchester)
ASSISTANTS: William Bull & Matt Stewart
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Michael Rowley

ATTENDANCE: 4,368 (465 City supporters)