City left it late to rescue a point at Sincil Bank on Saturday afternoon against Port Vale.
Tom Shaw made wholesale changes to the side that took on Notts County last week. Lukas Jensen returned in net, while TJ Eyoma made his first league start since August alongside Paudie O’Connor and Adam Jackson. Jack Burroughs and Lasse Sorensen started as the wing-backs, while the ever-present Ethan Hamilton and Ethan Erhahon retained their places in midfield. Dylan Duffy made his first league start of the season after an impressive performance against Notts County, while Hakeeb Adelakun was preferred to Jack Vale alongside Ali Smith.
Following the remembrance weekend service, City got the game underway but the visitors started the game the strongest of the two sides. The first chance went the way of Vale, Tom Sang and Tottenham Hotspur loanee Alfie Devine combined well but Jensen was equal to it, making an excellent save to keep the game level.
The Imps should’ve been the side to take the lead though just a few minutes later. Duffy was causing problems and following a great piece of work on the left wing, he fizzed a ball across the box to Smith. It was a head-in-hands moment for the midfield as he fired over from just a few yards out. Following Smith’s golden chance, City struggled to get a foot-hold in the game, with Vale dominating the ball and creating the better chances. Uche Ikpeazu was causing Eyoma problems in defence, and the Imps midfield was being overrun.
The visitors made their pressure count going into the last 15 minutes of the half. Ethan Chislett crossed in from the right wing, and Ben Garrity just had to apply the finishing touch into the bottom corner past Jensen, who couldn’t save the Imps on this occasion. Duffy continued to impress towards the end of the half, the Irishman had the ball in the back of the net but it was clearly offside, before later curling his effort into the palms of Conor Ripley in the Vale goal.
The second half started with some real drama. Vale were down to ten men after just under five minutes into the half. Oliver Arblaster picked up the first yellow card of the afternoon in the first half, which left referee Craig Hicks with no choice but to give him his marching orders after a poor challenge of Erhahon in the middle of the park. The man advantage lifted City, but Shaw’s side only lasted 5 minutes with skipper O’Connor getting himself sent off for violent conduct. The fourth official alerted the referee of an apparent elbow from O’Connor on Ikpeazu and after a short conversation, the on-field official made the decision to send the Imps captain off.
City were the better side at 10v10 – creating multiple chances and putting the visitors under pressure. Shaw made a few changes following the red card, keeping the Imps on the front foot. City reverted to a back-four, with Duffy and Sorensen as attacking full-backs, and four across the front line. Going into the final ten minutes, City pushed for an equaliser but Vale were just as likely to double their advantage at the other end. Mandroiu – after coming on off the bench – went extremely close after a ball into the box from Sorensen’s corner.
The pressure was piling on and it finally paid off for City in the third minute of the nine added on by the fourth official. Mide Shodipo came off the bench in the final minute of extra-time and his impact was almost instant. Duffy played Vale in on the left hand side and the striker smashed the ball low across the box, finding Shodipo, who tapped home to equalise for City in the dying moments.
A flurry of late corners resulted in nothing for the Imps, who wanted to steal all three points late on into the game. Vale were easily the better side in the first half, but once it became 10v10 and City went all-out-attack, they could’ve won the game late on after the equaliser. It’s a point for City, in what will most likely be Shaw’s last game as interim manager, before a permanent appoint ahead of a tough game against Stevenage next weekend.