LINCOLN CITY 3

BRAINTREE TOWN 3

(Blue Square Bet Premier)

A CALAMITOUS mistake by referee Richard West deep into stoppage time denied the Iron a penalty and a possible win in this topsy-turvy encounter at Sincil Bank on Tuesday evening.

With the sides level and in the fourth minute of added time Iron debutant striker, Britt Assombalonga, broke clear on goal and rounded stranded keeper Joe Anyon who's outstretched left hand caught the boot of the 19- year-old Watford youngster who stumbled over before scooping his shot wide.

It was a clear-cut penalty but Mr West, not up with the game, wrongly decided that Assombalonga had dived and showed him a yellow card, and then a red as he had earlier booked the youngster for a fairly innocuous challenge.

The decision left Assombalonga clearly distraught at the end. He said: "I'm completely gutted – I wouldn't dive to get a penalty – the keeper just caught me with one hand and I couldn't help going down – it was a penalty – I'm so disappointed."

Manager Alan Devonshire was equally upset over the decision adding: "The lad was clean through and he's clearly upset over the decision – it's a great shame because he and the other new loanee Brendan Kiernan did so well throughout a game I felt we should have won."

It was not the first decision Mr West or his two colleagues got wrong all night for both teams leaving both managers and sets of players annoyed and occasionally puzzled at the outcome.

Had the Iron been given the penalty and scored they would have deservedly won, particularly for their second half display where they had several chances to have wrapped up the game.

Skipper Kenny Davis (57 minutes), Jai Reason (62), Sean Marks (67) and Assombalonga (86) all wasted reasonably clear-cut chances to have wrapped the game up in the second half.

They also paid the price though for going ahead twice in the second half and then perhaps not being experienced enough to hang on to their advantage – another lesson to be quickly learned at this level.

The game started terribly for the Iron going behind in the first minute, a bad mistake by keeper Nathan McDonald who appeared to drop the ball in the area allowed Jefferson Louis to stab the ball home from close range.

Thankfully for the loyal 24 Iron fans who made the trip, their side were back on level terms three minutes later when Reason fired home a first time shot from a great right wing cross from Kiernan.

The home side looked the more dangerous in attack in the first half with Louis and Richard Pacquette causing a few problems for the Iron back line and McDonald made amends for his earlier error by pulling off three fine saves to deny them.

Iron's best chances of the first period fell to Reason (24 minute) and Marks (36) but both their efforts were charged down at the last moment by the home defence while Davis almost sneaked a goal close to the interval but his shot rose above the home bar.

The second half saw the Iron more in command and creating far more problems for the Imps' defence and they went ahead on 54 minutes with a bizarre goal.

Reason took a corner out on the left and his waist high cross eluded everyone in the area and went through into the far corner of the net.

The lead was shortlived though because within a minute the home side were back on level terms with an unfortunate goal.

From 25 yards out Tyrone Thompson hit a shot goalwards only for it to take a wicked deflection off an Iron defender into the net with McDonald going the wrong way.

The Iron, now in the ascendancy, took the game to the home side and but for wasteful finishing would have won by at least two clear goals.

With Brad Quinton on in the 75th minute the Iron had an even stronger grip on midfield and his influence was soon felt, setting up both Marks and Assombalonga with chances that went astray.

Three minutes from the end Quinton's free-kick from the edge of the area hit the inside of the far post and came out again but Assombalonga was quickest to react and tapped the ball into the empty net.

The Iron should have enough nous to hold on to this kind of lead but two minutes into stoppage time they were hit by a sucker punch when substitute Louis Almond fired home a free-kick from outside the area which beat McDonald down at the bottom of the right hand post.