Exeter City saw red twice as they were held at home by high-flying Lincoln City in the early kick off.
Both teams could strengthen their promotion aspirations with a win, but in a tepid first half, it was Michael Skubala’s Imps who came closest, but a whipped free-kick from Jack Moylan was pushed clear by Joe Whitworth, with striker Ben House lurking.
Exeter, who were without three first-team players due to international call-ups, had the better possession in the first period, but rarely threatened George Wickens in the Imps net. At half time, the game had 0-0 written all over it, but Lincoln came out in the second half with a renewed sense of vigour.
They lost captain Paudie O’Connor at half time to injury, meaning right back Tedayi Darikwa had to fill in at the heart of defence, but he was rarely troubled in a second half the Imps deserved to win. Ben House squandered a promising opportunity by shooting directly at Whitworth, later directing a header onto the top of Exeter’s net, while substitute Jovon Makama had a golden chance to secure victory for Lincoln following an excellent run from Moylan but sent his shot high over the goal.
The game became fractured towards the end, with the Exeter bench thrice taking the ball into the dugout, preventing Lincoln from taking a quick throw-in. On the third occasion, a brief melee ensued, with coach David Perkins shown a red card.
The introduction of Ethan Erhahon at halftime certainly helped the Imps gain a better shape, but he also contributed to Ryan Woods picking up his first booking of the game just after halftime. Woods, clearly rattled by Erhahon’s approach, then picked up a second yellow late in the game for a rash challenge on Dylan Duffy in the middle of the park.
The win briefly lifted Michael Skubala’s side into fourth place, although results later in the day saw them drop back down to sixth, still in playoff contention.
Writer’s View
0-0 might not have been what the Sky cameras wanted, but Exeter will be the happier of the two sides with the result. They didn’t get a look in during the second period, and Lincoln were by far the better side, driven by Jack Moylan’s constant creativity. The only real bright spark for Exeter was Demetri Mitchell, introduced in the second half and a thorn in Lincoln’s side in patches.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief at The Real EFL, Gary is a passionate Lincoln City fan with extensive content creation across the Championship and EFL. He also shares expert football betting tips.
