City were once again handed a lesson in finishing by Chesterfield on Friday night, with the Spireites defeating the Imps 4-1 at Saltergate.

After Alan Marriott had superbly denied Jack Lester on a couple of occasions in the opening period, the Spireites edged themselves in front in the 38th minute when a long throw saw the ball land at the feet of midfielder Lloyd Kerry who fired home from 10 yards.

Seven minutes after the restart City, who saw Lenny John-Lewis forced off through injury in the ninth minute, were two down when Lester twisted and turned his way into space before curling into the bottom corner.

City's response was immediate though with a Louis Dodds centre being met at the far post by substitute Ben Wright but within the space of 90 seconds the Spireites regained their two-goal advantage when skipper Peter Leven was played in by Lester's back-heel before firing home.

Kerry added a fourth in the 81st minute after substitute Jamie Ward had broke down the middle before skipping past both Beevers and Marriott before squaring for his team mate.

Match report by John Vickers at Saltergate:

With Lee Ridley ruled out with a hamstring injury, Nat Brown returned to the starting XI. A second change saw Dany N'Guessan replace Ben Wright who drops to the bench. Ridley's absence saw Paul Green move across to left-back to allow Brown to start on the right whilst N'Guessan slotted in up front in a straight swap for Wright.

Referee Kevin Wright was in charge for just his second game of the season with the Cambridgeshire-based official just returning from injury. He got things underway with Chesterfield kicking off.

The hosts were the first to press with a long ball over the top in the second minute seeing Jack Lester, who bagged a hat-trick at Sincil Bank earlier in the season, going through. Lee Beevers was there, though, and a great piece of defending from him forced Lester to fire well over the bar.

City replied with Nat Brown looping a header into the arms of Barry Roche after a quickly worked free-kick ended with skipper Scott Kerr swinging in a cross from the right.

With just nine minutes on the clock City were first to make a change after Lenny John-Lewis took a knock to his side. The teenager was in some discomfort for a couple of minutes before he was helped off to be replaced by Ben Wright. The change saw Wright go up front with N'Guessan moving into a wide right role.

After their early scare the Imps were starting to enjoy the majority of the play with Brown firing wide after a Kerr free-kick landed at his feet just inside the box whilst it took some sturdy defending from Janos Kovacs and Peter Hartley to deny N'Guessan a run on goal.

Chesterfield's response saw them win the game's first corner which ended with Jamie Winter forcing Alan Marriott into a save from his low 25-yard drive. The City 'keeper then did well to claim a dangerous centre from David Dowson under pressure from Lester.

Midway through the opening period an excellent challenge on Lester by Hone denied the former Nottingham Forest striker a shot on goal; the break forward coming after N'Guessan lost possession on the right, although the big Frenchman seemed to have a fair shout for a foul as he tried to skip past Hartley.

Hone was on hand again to clear a Dowson cross whilst at the other end a dangerous cross from Brown was almost met by Wright before Kerr was unable to get the ball back into the box. Roche then saved with his feet at Wright's from the Imps' next foray forward.

At the other end a long ball forward over Hone's head set Lester free but Marriott was there to produce a fine save before he claimed Dowson's cross and shortly afterwards Hone and Dowson went for a loose ball in the box and, after Marriott came off his line to smother the ball, Lester seemed to leave his leg in on the City number one, forcing him to remain grounded. A number of players squared up before Marriott received treatment. Play restarted with a free-kick to City whilst Lester escaped further punishment.

It wasn't long before the Spireites were pushing forward again though and this time Marriott was unable to come to City's rescue as a long 38th minute throw-in bounced a couple of times, the Imps failed to clear their lines and there was LLOYD KERRY to fire home from 10 yards out.

Almost immediately Winter got the wrong side of the Imps' defence but fortunately for City he fired well wide from a narrow angle. City's first attack after going a goal down saw Dodds head straight at Roche.

The two minutes of added time which was indicated by the Fourth Official passed without incident to it was the Spireites who went in for the break a goal to the good.

HT: CHESTERFIELD 1 IMPS 0

Neither side made any changes at the break and it was City who got proceedings underway again with Paul Green a quick recipient of an un-noticed Jack Lester elbow. Lester then tussled with Beevers before Dowson went down theatrically under Clarke's fair challenge in the box to continue a hot-tempered start to the second half.

A foul on Lester by Beevers then gave the hosts a chance from a free-kick which ended with Leven firing straight into the City wall but from their next attack, Chesterfield added a second. JACK LESTER was the man who found the back of the net as, after he twisted and turned past a couple of City defenders to create space for himself he neatly curled a right-footed effort past a hopelessly exposed Marriott.

City looked for a quick response with Wright seeing his centre cleared by Kovacs but, five minutes after going two down the Imps were back in with a shout as a dangerous cross from Dodds was missed by the home defence and there was BEN WRIGHT to net from close range.

Dodds was then inches away from connecting with a Forrester flick but it wasn't long before Chesterfield were attacking again and it wasn't long before they regained their two-goal advantage with a goal of high quality. Lester was involved again as, after PETER LEVEN played the ball to him, his back-heel to his skipper saw him fire past Marriott from just inside the box.

Again the Imps pressed quickly with Dodds denied on the edge of the box by Kovacs whilst in the 67th minute the hosts made a double change up front with David Dowson and Jack Lester being replaced by Jamie Ward and Steve Fletcher.

Kovacs denied Dodds again whilst at the other end, assistant referee Paul Barnes earned the wrath of Iffy Onuora and Grant Brown after he kept the flag down despite substitute Ward looking to be yards offside as he tried to latch on to another long ball forward from the Chesterfield defence.

A change for City in the 74th minute saw Owain Warlow replace Jamie Forrester. The change saw a switch in formation with Dodds and N'Guessan joining Wright up front with Warlow coming in on the left of a midfield three.

With City pushing men forward, they were always going to be susceptible to the ball over the top and from one such move - which the Spireites utilised at regular intervals - the hosts added a fourth.

Substitute Ward was the creator in the 81st minute and, after he wrong-footed Beevers and rounded Marriott, he squared for LLOYD KERRY who had the simple task of rolling the ball home for his second of the game.

A foul by Beevers on Ward gave the hosts a chance from a free-kick in a dangerous position just outside the box but Leven fired straight into the wall whilst shortly afterwards Hartley fired over from 40 yards. Leven was then replaced by Kevin Cooper with three minutes on the clock.

In the last minute of normal time City won their first corner to make it one apiece on the flag-kick front but they couldn't make the most of the opportunity and once the two minutes of added time had passed, referee Wright blew for time.

FT: CHESTERFIELD 4 IMPS 1

MATCH FACTS

LINCOLN CITY
1 Alan MARRIOTT
6 Nat BROWN
5 Lee BEEVERS
27 Daniel HONE
2 Paul GREEN
11 Scott KERR
23 Shane CLARKE
19 Louis DODDS
29 Lenell JOHN-LEWIS
8 Jamie FORRESTER
17 Dany N'GUESSAN

subs
15 Ben WRIGHT (for JOHN-LEWIS 9)
20 Owain WARLOW (for FORRESTER 74)
4 Adie MOSES
16 Alex MORFAW
13 Ayden DUFFY

GOAL: WRIGHT (57)

CHESTERFIELD
1 Barry ROCHE
5 Phil PICKEN
26 Peter HARTLEY
2 Janos KOVACS
15 Aaron DOWNES
4 Jamie LOWRY
24 Lloyd KERRY
16 Jamie WINTER
19 Peter LEVEN
25 David DOWSON
14 Jack LESTER

subs
7 Jamie WARD (for DOWSON 67)
10 Steve FLETCHER (for LESTER 67)
23 Kevin COOPER (for LEVEN 87)
8 Derek NIVEN
18 Alan O'HARE

GOALS: KERRY (38 & 81), LESTER (52), LEVEN (59)

MATCH OFFICIALS

REFEREE: Kevin Wright (Cambridgeshire)
ASSISTANTS: Paul Barnes & Darren Bond
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Paul Graham

ATTENDANCE: 4,353 (685 City supporters)