Shrewsbury Town fell to a frustrating 0-1 defeat at home to Lincoln City.
Intro
Town had plenty of chances to score in the first half, firstly when Jordan Shipley found Ryan Bowman free in the middle only for our number nine to fire wide of the post.
Another chance came Shrewsbury’s way when Taylor Perry ran through on goal before cutting back inside and seeing his effort well saved by Lukas Jensen.
As a result of failing to take our chances, Lincoln took the lead with 10 minutes to go when Ethan Hamilton picked up the ball in the box before slotting it home.
Team news:
We were able to confirm before kick-off that Max Mata has received home office clearance and a work visa and is now able to play for the club.
Unfortunately, the striker picked up a minor calf strain in the final 10 minutes of training on Thursday - with head coach Matt Taylor confirming he expects the New Zealand international to make his Town debut at Fleetwood next weekend.
Max's absence meant Matt named an unchanged side from the one that secured a deserved victory over Burton on Tuesday.
Sticking with a 3-5-2 system, Bowman and Dan Udoh continued their partnership up front with Carl Winchester at right wing-back and Shipley on the left.
Lincoln lined up in a 3-4-2-1 formation with Tyler Walker the lone striker and Danny Mandroiu and Reeco Hackett operating just behind.
Report:
It was Town who went on to dominate the opening 45 minutes - with Taylor's side creating plenty of chances but unable to find that crucial touch to break the deadlock.
The first big chance arrived in the 12th minute when Tom Bayliss' corner was nodded back into the danger area by Chey Dunkley.
The ball then eventually fell for Perry who sent a powerful effort from just outside the box over the bar.
All the action was taking place in the Lincoln half and just before the half-hour mark Town created another good chance to break the deadlock.
A great bit of play by Tom Bayliss released Shipley down the left-hand side. He then sent in a dangerous low cross that Ryan Bowman stabbed wide.
Shortly after, another chance came Town's way following a swift counter-attack.
Dan Udoh’s chipped ball found Perry who ran through on goal before cutting back and seeing his effort well saved by goalkeeper Jensen inside the six-yard box.
The referee added on two minutes, much to Town’s disappointment as they had wanted a few more minutes to score the first-half goal they so deserved.
The visitors’ first real chance didn’t come until the second half with Hamilton producing a smart half-volley from just inside the box.
Marosi, though, was equal to the effort and did well to parry the ball away.
Town responded with Bayliss sending in a corner that Dunkley met. His downward header bounced into the ground and looked to be heading into the top corner but Jensen did well to get across his goal and make the save.
Lincoln almost got their noses in front when a mistake from Joe Anderson saw Lasse Sorensen break into the box.
The full-back picked up the ball but was denied by Marosi as the keeper stood strong to block the effort.
In the 79th minute, a set piece for Lincoln saw the ball bounce loose in the box before Hamilton picked it up and slotted it into the bottom right corner from around 12 yards out to make it 0-1 to the visitors against the run of play.
Teams
Shrewsbury Town: Marko Marosi; Joe Anderson, Morgan Feeney, Chey Dunkley ©; Jordan Shipley, Nohan Kenneh (Tunmise Sobowale 82’), Taylor Perry, Tom Bayliss (Harvey Watts 89’), Carl Winchester; Ryan Bowman, Dan Udoh
Substitutes: Harry Burgoyne; Mal Benning, Elliott Bennett, Travis Hernes, Tom Flanagan
Lincoln City: Lukas Jensen, Lasse Sorensen, Adam Jackson, Ethan Erahon, Reeco Hackett, Ethan Hamilton (Alistair Smith 80’), Danny Mandriou (Ted Bishop 60’), Paudie O’Connor ©, Jack Burroughs, Tyler Walker (Ben House 60’), Sean Roughan
Unused Substitutes: Jordan Wright, Jaden Brown, Ted Bishop, Dylan Duffy, Alex Mitchell
Referee: Ross Joyce
