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Match Reports

Lincoln 0 Pompey 2

Peart-Harris and Lane on target as Blues conclude campaign with a win

27 April 2024

Myles Peart-Harris celebrates scoring for Pompey at Lincoln City
Photo: Jason Brown/Pro Sports Images
Match Reports

Lincoln 0 Pompey 2

Peart-Harris and Lane on target as Blues conclude campaign with a win

27 April 2024

Myles Peart-Harris and Paddy Lane found the target as Pompey finished their title-winning campaign with victory at Lincoln.

The goals came after a disastrous penalty from Danny Mândroiu that was easily saved by Will Norris early in the second half.

Peart-Harris capitalised on that with a late finish and Lane’s stoppage-time effort made sure the points would be heading back to the south coast.

The result meant a memorable season ended on a high and denied their opponents a play-off spot in the process.

John Mousinho made six changes from the side that were beaten by Wigan on home soil the previous week.

Ryley Towler was handed just a third League One start of the season, with a fit-again Tom Lowery also getting a spot.

There were places for Jack Sparkes, Tino Anjorin, Peart-Harris and Lane, as Sean Raggett, Owen Moxon, Connor Ogilvie, Marlon Pack, Abu Kamara and Christian Saydee made way.

For the second successive weekend, the champions were afforded a guard of honour from their opponents as they entered the pitch.

To remember those who lost their lives – including two Lincoln fans – in the Valley Parade disaster in 1985, both sides then laid a wreath.

Representing Pompey were Michael and Eric Eisner, while a period of silence was observed by everyone inside the ground.

After a start that was high on intensity, if a little low on quality, the visitors then began to take control.

Anjorin did have the ball in the back of the net, although the whistle had already been blown following a collision between Colby Bishop and Lukas Jensen.

Bishop then tried to convert Lane’s low cross with a neat flick, but Jensen made the save and Lang’s follow-up was blocked by Alex Mitchell.

Lane’s effort from Anjorin’s cut-back was also repelled, as the Blues continued to dominate against their understandably nervy hosts.

But their momentum was halted during a scrappy spell that saw referee Sunny Singh Gill dish out five bookings in as many minutes.

Three of them went to Pompey personnel, although Mousinho could perhaps feel harshly done by after being punished for trying to calm his troops down.

They were unhappy with a couple of free-kicks that went Lincoln’s way, but both came to nothing as the sides went in level at the break.

Half Time: Lincoln 0 Pompey 0

The hosts showed more purpose immediately after the restart and a Mândroiu free-kick caused some problems.

Paudie O’Connor nodded the ball back into the mixer and Norris had to palm it away from under his own bar.

The danger was not over, but Ben House could only connect with his knee to send the ball ballooning over.

There was an even better opportunity for Lincoln moments later, when Gill decided that Lowery’s nudge on Mândroiu was worthy of a penalty.

The Imps midfielder dusted himself down to take the spot-kick, only to slip and fire straight at Norris, with Joe Rafferty doing the mopping up.

Mousinho made a change just before the hour mark, as Lowery – one of those on a yellow card – was replaced by Owen Moxon.

And a triple switch followed soon after, with the attacking trio of Kamara, Saydee and Kusini Yengi on for Anjorin, Lang and Bishop.

Pompey almost broke the deadlock on 73 minutes, when Jensen failed to hold a deep Conor Shaughnessy delivery.

Sparkes picked up the loose ball, but the keeper recovered brilliantly to stop him slotting home a first goal for the club.

Lincoln were committing plenty of players forward in an attempt to find a winner that would secure their play-off spot.

But they were caught on the break late on, as Moxon and Kamara helped the ball across to Lane, who found PEART-HARRIS in acres of space to roll home a neat finish.

The hosts were leaving big gaps at the back as they went in desperate search of a leveller and the Blues were trying to exploit them.

A fit-again Terry Devlin was afforded a late cameo as Peart-Harris trudged off – although he would be given more time than perhaps was anticipated.

The display of 11 additional minutes drew gasps – and provided hope for Lincoln that they could still turn things around.

But it was the Blues who almost scored again halfway through that, with Kamara and Yengi working the ball to Lane, whose fierce shot was turned behind by Jensen.

They did wrap things up just before the final whistle, though, as LANE was on hand to slot home when Kamara’s curler was parried out by Jensen.

Lincoln (3-5-2): Jensen; Mitchell (Walker 79), O’Connor (c), Jackson (Duffy 56); Sørensen, Mândroiu, Erhahon, House (Moylan 86), Roughan; Taylor, Draper (Makama 56)
Booked: House, Taylor, Erhahon
Subs not used: Wright, Burroughs, Eyoma

Pompey (4-2-3-1): Norris (c); Rafferty, Shaughnessy, Towler, Sparkes; Anjorin (Kamara 65), Lowery (Moxon 59); Lane, Lang (Saydee 65), Peart-Harris (Devlin 90); Bishop (Yengi 65)
Goals: Peart-Harris 81, Lane 90+12
Booked: Towler, Peart-Harris, Lowery, Moxon, Sparkes, Yengi, Saydee
Subs not used: Macey, Ogilvie

Referee: Sunny Singh Gill

Attendance: 10,006 (1,095 Pompey fans)


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