A devastating performance by Hartlepool substitute Joel Porter saw City crash out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy 5-2 at a soggy Sincil Bank on Tuesday evening.
Things started brightly for the Imps as Mark Stallard slotted home from the spot after Owain Warlow was upended by Gary Liddle but the visitors responded just before the half-hour mark with substitute Joel Porter, who then took centre stage in the second half.
The striker fired Pools in front five minutes after the restart before he set up fellow substitute Michael Mackay for a third in the 70th minute. Sixty seconds later Ian Moore fired home from another Porter centre whilst Porter's hat-trick came along four minutes later as he advanced down the middle before firing past Alan Marriott.
Stallard netted a spectacular second from 35 yards with 13 minutes remaining and both Lee Frecklington and Ollie Ryan came close to adding a third but in the end the night belonged to Hartlepool and in particular Porter who, after replacing Richard Barker in a tactical change in the ninth minute, scored three and made two more as City crashed out of the trophy on home soil.
Match report by James Lazenby at Sincil Bank Stadium:
There were two changes to the City starting line-up for this Johnstone's Paint Trophy second round tie against Hartlepool United at an extremely wet Sincil Bank Stadium with Mark Stallard and Owain Warlow coming in for Steve Torpey and Louis Dodds.
Neither Torpey not Dodds featured on the bench but there alongside Adie Moses, Jamie Forrester and Dany N'Guessan were Nat Brown and Ben Wright.
Heavy rain, which had been falling for a good couple of hours before kick-off, greeted the two teams as they trudged out of the tunnel, whilst an understandably small crowd was present to witness this cup tie.
Referee Mike Thorpe from Suffolk got things underway and it was a relatively quiet opening, although the Imps certainly enjoyed the better of things possession-wise. Things livened up though with just three minutes played when City took the lead from the penalty spot.
The penalty was awarded after Owain Warlow was sent flying by Gary Liddle after he was played in by Mark Stallard. Stallard took responsibility from 12 yards and promptly sent Arran Lee-Barrett the wrong way from the spot to give City the perfect start.
A minute after this opener a foul on Ollie Ryan earned visiting centre-back Godwin Antwi a stiff talking to by referee Thorpe who subsequently produced the game's first yellow card. Warlow, however, fired the resultant free-kick straight at the visiting wall.
With the game just nine minutes old Joel Porter replaced Richard Barker for Pools - former Mansfield man Barker hardly managing a touch before he was withdrawn. Visiting boss Danny Wilson obviously forced to field Barker due to the competition's rules with regards to fielding a 'strong' team
A minute or so later a deep chip from Matty Robson was headed behind for the first corner of the game by Lee Beevers whilst at the other end Ryan was unlucky to see the ball get tangled under his feet after good work from Warlow saw him jink his way past a couple of Pools defenders.
Warlow then had a goalbound effort deflected wide after he was played in by Frecklington as City pressed again and when the Welshman played the ball in Beevers almost connected with a header.
City continued on the attack with Stallard testing Lee-Barrett with a 20-yard curler whilst Ryan looked to be impeded by the goalkeeper as the pair went for a sliced clearance by Antwi but referee Thorpe was on the spot to wave play-on.
In the 24th minute and with the heavy rain continuing to lash down City pieced together a slick move on the greasy surface but the end product unfortunately wasn't forthcoming as skipper Scott Kerr fired over after he latched on to Stallard's ball back from the byline.
At the other end Beevers was on hand to divert a dangerous Robson centre behind but it wasn't long before the visitors pressed again and, in the 29th minute, they grabbed an equaliser.
The leveller came after a Hartlepool move led to bodies skidding all over the shop as the Imps defended in numbers but it was an untimely slip from Kerr which saw the ball skid off his shin into the path of James Brown which created the opening. Brown took a touch before he fired goalwards and there to divert the ball past Alan Marriott was substitute Joel Porter.
City looked for a quick reply but a move down their right came to an abrupt halt when Lee Frecklington and Ben Clark slid in for a loose ball. Clark came off worse and required treatment amongst the puddles before he was able to return to the fray.
Hartlepool's next attack ended with Hamza Bencherif hacking clear after the ball somehow squirmed out of Marriott's gloves whilst at the other end a timely interception from Clark denied Ryan a clear run on goal from Warlow's pass.
Just one added minute was indicated by the Fourth Official with the only highlight during the extra 60 seconds being a Brown header which was easily claimed by Marriott.
HT: IMPS 1 HARTLEPOOL 1
Both sides emerged unchanged for the second half and with the rain still falling the visitors restarted play.
It was Pools who carved out the first half-chance following the break with Brown slicing wide from six yards after the ball reached him at the back post whilst Porter fored a corner shortly afterwards which ended up with Marriott claiming Antwi's tame header.
Hartlepool pressed again in the 50th minute when a high ball forward over the Imps defence set Joel Porter free. The striker did well to get the ball under control and, after he held off Bencherif's challenge he slotted home with the ball having enough pace on it after Marriott got a touch to creep over the line.
Shortly after this set-back Beevers required treatment after Robson seemed to go in high for a challenge; the City man screaming in agony before hitting the deck. Fair challenge, though, according to referee Thorpe whilst Beevers returned somewhat gingerly.
A cynical challenge on Lee Frecklington by Jamie McCunnie earned the Hartlepool man a deserved caution in the 58th minute and almost immediately City forced their second corner of the game. The vistors hacked clear though when Frecklington played the ball in.
On the hour mark Ali Gibb came on for Gary Liddle as the visitors made a second change and Gibb was quickly in the action, clearing for a throw-in as Warlow broke down the left.
Green then skipped through the puddles before seeing his ball into the box skid past Kerr and into the arms of Lee-Barrett whilst at the other end Ian Moore went down under Jamie Hand's challenge giving Pools a free-kick 25 yards out. The experienced Robbie Elliott fired well over though.
In the 68th minute James Brown made way for Michael Mackay whilst a heavy backpass from Elliott crashed against Lee-Barrett who then saw his clearance under pressure from Ryan go to Stallard who then saw his first time effort skid wide. Play immediately switched to the other end where Hartlepool made it 3-1.
Pools' third of the evening came after the lively Porter broke free of the City defence and, after he skipped past Marriott, he looked up and picked out substitute Mackay to nod home with his first touch of the game.
A minute later it was 4-1 with Porter again the architect. This time he advanced down the left before sliding the ball into the path of Ian Moore who pulled the trigger from just inside the box.
A triple change for City then saw Jamie Forrester, Ben Wright and Dany N'Guessan replace Owain Warlow, Paul Green and Jamie Hand. None of the three had a chance to touch the ball as Porter again went on the attack and again the end product came along with the substitute latching on to a ball through the middle before wrapping up his hat-trick.
City replied within a couple of minutes and they did so with the goal of the game as Stallard let fly from fully 35 yards. His effort left Lee-Barrett clutching thin air as the ball flew into the top left corner of the Hartlepool goal.
Frecklington then had an effort saved at the second attempt by Lee-Barrett as City looked to cut the deficit further whilst Ryan saw his net-bound shot blocked by the legs of the visiting stopper before the ball went behind for a corner. As the corner came in, a clash of heads between Bencherif and Moore saw both players require treatment before returning.
Wright then won a corner on the same side which was headed wide by Bencherif before three added minutes was indicated by the Fourth Official. Midway through the added time Bencherif deflected a Mackay shot behind for a corner and this proved to be the final action as play came to a close shortly afterwards.
FT: IMPS 2 HARTLEPOOL 5
MATCH FACTS
LINCOLN CITY
1 Alan MARRIOTT
14 Ryan AMOO
5 Lee BEEVERS
25 Hamza BENCHERIF
2 Paul GREEN
7 Lee FRECKLINGTON
11 Scott KERR
26 Jamie HAND
20 Owain WARLOW
9 Mark STALLARD
18 Ollie RYAN
subs
8 Jamie FORRESTER (for WARLOW 73)
15 Ben WRIGHT (for GREEN 73)
17 Dany N'GUESSAN (for HAND 73)
4 Adie MOSES
6 Nat BROWN
GOALS: STALLARD (4 pen, 77)
HARTLEPOOL UNITED
21 Arran LEE-BARRETT
2 Jamie McCUNNIE
3 Robbie ELLIOTT
6 Ben CLARK
7 Gary LIDDLE
9 Richard BARKER
14 James BROWN
15 Antony SWEENEY
19 Matty ROBSON
20 Godwin ANTWI
22 Ian MOORE
subs
10 Joel PORTER (for BARKER 9)
18 Ali GIBB (for LIDDLE 60)
24 Michael MACKAY (for BROWN 68)
5 Michael NELSON
17 David FOLEY
GOALS: PORTER (29, 50, 75), MACKAY (70), MOORE (71)
BOOKINGS: ANTWI (5), McCUNNIE (58)
MATCH OFFICIALS
REFEREE: Mike Thorpe (Suffolk)
ASSISTANTS: Mark Sutton & Jason Tyas
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Paul Martin
ATTENDANCE: 936 (93 visiting supporters)
