Lincoln United 1 – Lincoln City 0

He must be credited for his unique style of public address – he was markedly polite, beginning each announcement which he made prior to kick-off with “ladies and gentleman…”

Ashby Avenue had only one turnstile in use to begin with, which is adequate for that level of football, but due to a bumper crowd, a second turnstile had to be opened. Our friend on the tannoy was kind enough to inform us….“Errr…please turn to your right and...errrr…make your way to the next turnstile, but DON'T PANIC, everything is in hand.” This came across as slightly over dramatic, but confirmed that the announcer was a genuine friendly guy and wanted to reassure supporters that “there is no need for alarm”!

Reminiscent of John Motson, the announcer got mixed-up with his words as kick-off neared…

“Our next friendly fixture is Lincoln United versus Hull City United...errr...no...sorry…that's Lincoln United versus Hull City”

But it was a beautiful mix-up to make, providing fans with a dash of pre-match entertainment.

For his next trick, he managed to continue reading the team-sheet a good five minutes after the referee had blown his whistle to get the game underway! Finally reeling off the list of Lincoln United substitutes in his monotonous manner.

That aside, the game proved to be a true “friendly” encounter. Supporters from both sides, who mixed freely, were granted a look at many new players. All five of Lincoln City's summer signings appeared at some stage, while several trialists were given a run-out – including, Tottenham's Shane Williams (19) and lively West Ham attacker Moyes Jjunju (18). In an evening of experimentation for the Imps' management team, youth team player Adam Holtham was also given a taste of the action.

Lincoln United started the game with Jason Barnett, Gary Cochrane and Paul Miller in their line-up, but Steve Welsh did not figure (he was in fact in his Lincoln City tracksuit). Imps legend Grant Brown, who has just recently joined Telford United, was watching from the sidelines.

Ian Williams was the goal scorer for United with a simple tap-in after a scramble in the box following a corner. 
 

All in all, an entertaining evening.