United's second string maintained their unbeaten start to life back in the Central League at a soggy Whitley Park on Monday evening, but only with a hefty slice of luck.

Just seconds were left on the clock when veteran Imps goalkeeper Paul Musselwhite was beaten, after a left wing centre from Frank Wiafe Danquah was inadvertantly headed home by visiting defender Danny Hone.

That levelled a 58th minute Jamie Clarke effort that had looked like giving City a third successive away victory, blasting a low shot that went under Newcastle 'keeper Ole Soderberg and in.

A first half that was played in increasingly heavy rain had been totally non-descript before United's Shane Ferguson curled a shot from distance narrowly wide on 23 minutes.

Perhaps our best chance of the half also fell to the young Northern Ireland international, who was clean through four minutes before the interval, only to place his shot against the advancing Musselwhite.

The one-time Gateshead custodian who appeared for Port Vale against United way back in 1993 had earlier denied Samuel Adjei and Sammy Ameobi. Meanwhile at the other end, Bermudian trialist Khano Smith looked lively as he tried to impress his potential new employers.

Brad Inman then advanced into the City area on 54 minutes, only to drag his shot wide and after taking the lead, Soderberg denied Nathan Adams a seemingly inevitable second goal with an instinctive block.

United responded to falling behind by putting on Conor Newton and Michael McCrudden and they started to push forward with more conviction, Musselwhite tipping over a long range effort from Sammy Ameobi on 66 minutes and then blocking McCrudden's header two minutes later.

By the closing stages it was one way traffic as Lincoln hung on, but a weakened Magpie side seemed to have found too many cul de sacs, before Hone's intervention. 

Biffa

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