FOOTBALLSkyBet Championship
Lincoln City 1-3 Portsmouth: Match Report
Lincoln City's first Championship home game since 1961 ends in defeat as Portsmouth score twice inside sixteen minutes and hold on for a 3-1 win at the ProAmpac Stadium.
In this report
Lincoln City, Champions of SkyBet League 1, opened their Championship campaign at the newly named ProAmpac Stadium against Portsmouth in front of a capacity crowd of 10,545 fans, packed into one of the smaller stadiums in the second tier for the first time since the 1960-61 season.
Portsmouth capitalised early, scoring twice inside the first sixteen minutes. Ryan Kavuma-McQueen slotted home in the seventh minute, a left-footed shot squeezed through a crowd of Lincoln defenders following an inch-perfect pass from Abu Kamara, to make it 0-1. Portsmouth doubled their lead in the 16th minute when Adrian Segecic fired a terrific left-footed free kick into the net from the edge of the box after Lincoln conceded a foul, his second goal of the season.
Lincoln pulled a goal back in the 32nd minute after Portsmouth were penalised for a Zak Swanson handball following an Adam Reach left-footed effort. Recco Hackett stepped up and converted the penalty against his old club to make it 1-2.
Timeline of key events
- 4'
Adam Reach left-footed free kick deflected behind for a corner
- 4'
Ben House left-footed shot smothered by Nicholas Schmid
- 7'
0-1 Kavuma-McQueen. - left-footed finish through a crowd of defenders, assist by Kamara
- 12'
Colby Bishop near-post header from a corner gathered by Wickens
- 16'
0-2 Segecic. - left-footed free kick from the edge of the box
- 29'
Lincoln corner leads to a Zak Swanson handball in the area
- 32'
1-2 Hackett (pen). - converted against his former club
- 34'
Draper booked
- 43'
Colby Bishop right-footed effort pushed away by Wickens
- Half time:
Lincoln City 1 Portsmouth 2
- 54'
Darikwa off, Coubis on for Lincoln
- 55'
Shein booked
- 58'
Shein, Kavuma-McQueen off; Murphy, Adams on for Portsmouth
- 66'
Varfolomeev, Jefferies off; Bayliss, Street on for Lincoln
- 68'
Bayliss booked
- 69'
1-3 Adams. - right-footed strike from distance
- 71'
Hamer booked
- 75'
House, Draper off; Melia, Olaofe on for Lincoln
- 77'
Murphy off, Milanovic on for Portsmouth
- 86'
Kamara, Pack off; Brooke-Smith, Knight on for Portsmouth
- Full time:
Lincoln City 1 Portsmouth 3
Portsmouth restored their two-goal cushion in the 69th minute when Ebrima Adams struck a superb right-footed effort from distance to make it 1-3, and the visitors held firm from there to claim their first win of the season.
The Imps had spent £10m on ground improvements since promotion, with the likes of West Ham United, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers due to visit Sincil Bank in the coming months. Lincoln came into the game off a 2-1 Carabao Cup first round win over fellow Championship side Derby County, having lost 1-2 away at Middlesbrough on the opening day of the league season. Portsmouth arrived off the back of back-to-back defeats, 3-1 at West Ham in the Carabao Cup and 3-1 at home to Queens Park Rangers, and manager John Mousinho made three changes, bringing in Benjamin Arthur, Marlon Pack and Ryan Kavuma-McQueen.
It was Lincoln's first home game in the second tier since a 2-0 win over Leyton Orient on 29 April 1961, and the Imps had won just one of their previous 14 league meetings with Portsmouth since 1981. Portsmouth's win extended their unbeaten run in opening away league games to six matches (three wins, three draws).
Joint managers Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw set Lincoln up in a 4-4-2 with Recco Hackett coming in for Ryley Towler as the only change from the midweek cup win. Portsmouth lined up in a 4-2-3-1 under Mousinho, with captain Marlon Pack and Colby Bishop leading the side.
Lincoln started the brighter of the two sides, forcing early corners and a smothered effort from Ben House inside the opening five minutes, but Portsmouth's clinical finishing from their first two forays forward put the game beyond the Imps' control inside a quarter of an hour. Lincoln's response through Hackett's penalty kept the tie alive at the break, trailing 1-2 at half time, but Adams' second-half strike ended any hope of a comeback, and Portsmouth saw out the closing stages comfortably despite late Lincoln pressure in stoppage time.
Lincoln City go in search of their first Championship win with a trip to Bolton Wanderers next, sandwiched around a Carabao Cup second round tie at Blackpool, while Portsmouth travel to Bristol City in their next league outing.
Match statistics
| Metric | Lincoln City | Portsmouth |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 1 | 3 |
| Yellow Cards | 3 | 1 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 0 |
| Attendance | 10,545 | 1,178 (away) |
Possession, shots, passing and fouls: official match data issued in the press box. Expected goals: third party provider, as published. Saves counted at the ground and verified against the team sheet.
Match details
- Competition
- SkyBet Championship
- Venue
- ProAmpac Stadium, Sincil Bank, Lincoln
- Attendance
- 10,545 (away 1,178)
- Referee
- Tony Harrington - Assistant Referees: Jacob Graham, Jon Block - 4th Official: Tim Robinson
- Lincoln City (4-4-2)
- Wickens - Darikwa (c) (54, Coubis), Hamer, Elerewe, Reach - Jefferies (66, Street), Varfolomeev (66, Bayliss), McGrandles, Hackett - Draper (75, Olaofe), House (75, Melia). Unused: Gauci (G), Towler, Elder, Konak
- Portsmouth (4-2-3-1)
- Schmid - Devlin, Arthur, Shaughnessy, Swanson - Pack (c) (86, Knight), Shein (58, Adams) - Kamara (86, Brooke-Smith), Segecic, Kavuma-McQueen (58, Murphy, 77, Milanovic) - Bishop. Unused: Bielica (G), Bailey, Dia, Marezi, Swift
Editorial judgement, not a statistic
William Powell's standout players
Adrian Segecic (Portsmouth) - A brilliant left-footed free kick set the tone for a controlled away performance
Ryan Kavuma-McQueen (Portsmouth) - A lovely opening goal from Lincoln's first attack of note against the Imps
Ebrima Adams (Portsmouth) - A cracking strike from distance sealed the points after coming off the bench
Recco Hackett (Lincoln City) - Kept the Imps in it with a coolly converted penalty against his old club
Selected by William Powell at the ground.
William Powell
Senior Editor · FWA Life Member · Sports Journalist since 1987
William Powell is CUVA Sports' senior editor and lead correspondent, covering football and cricket at the highest level for nearly four decades. A Life Member of the Football Writers' Association, his writing combines deep tactical knowledge with the narrative flair of the best sports journalism.
