Cheltenham Town picked up a creditable point in difficult conditions at Lincoiln City's Sincil Bank ground this afternoon.

Justin Richards' fifth goal of the season after only 12 minutes was cancelled out by Jamie Clarke's strike three minutes after the break, but this game was marred by an ugly incident 20 minutes from time in which referee Graham Salisbury sent off three and ordered Imps boss Chris Sutton to the stand.
 
Aaron Brown's late challenge on Theo Lewis sparked it all, earning the Lincoln left back a straight red card. He was eventually joined by Cheltenham goalkeeper coach Barry Richardson, Imps boss Chris Sutton and substitute Ian Pearce as the game was held up for eight minutes in the ensuing melee.

However the incident masked a hard-fought result for John Schofield's side, and a much-improved performance after the recent disappointing results against Crewe Alexandra and Torquay United.

TEAM NEWS: Lincoln-born Schofield, who both played for and managed his hometown club, made two changes to his side after last weekend's cup disappointment in Devon. Young Stoke City attacker Ben Marshall, who arrived on a month's loan yesterday, went straight into the team at the expense of Michael Pook and operated on the right of midfield. Pook dropped to the bench alongside Elvis Hammond, replaced by Barry Hayles who missed last weekend's FA Cup first round defeat at Plainmoor and patrolled the left. Richards paired Julian Alsop in attack.

Fifth minute: Chris Fagan, from 12 yards and Michael Gordon, from an angle down the right, fired early openings wide of the target despite a bright start by Cheltenham in which they forced a couple of early corners.

8: Lincoln appealed for an eighth-minute penalty after Shane Clarke burst into the box and went to ground after a challenge by Lewis but the referee, in a perfect position, waved away the claims.

12 GOAL: Lincoln City 0-1 Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham took the lead with 12 minutes on the clock after Josh Low forced a corner down the right, swung in by Marshall with his left foot. Shane Clarke rose at the near post to try and clear his line, but only succeeded in flicking it over the crowd of players to the back post where Richards was on hand to smash a volley into the ground and past Rob Burch to register his fifth goal of the season.

23 SUBSTITUTION: Former Wycombe Wanderers and Peterborough United danger man Sergio Torres limped out the game midway through the first half and was replaced by Khano Smith, who almost scored with his first touch from the inside left channel with a powerful shot which flew over the bar.

26: Lincoln went close again when Jamie Clarke spun on Anthony Pulis ball and curled one a foot wide of the left upright from the edge of the box.

28: Bird struck a free-kick narrowly wide from a position 22 yards from goal after Marshall had run half the length of the pitch on the counter attack down the left, only to be upended by Moses Swaibi.

32: A slick move down the middle produced a shooting chance for Lee Ridley 13 minutes before the interval when a pair of backheels from first Richards, and then Bird carved the opening although goalkeeper Rob Burch smothered the left back's low shot from 18 yards.

37: Bird almost provided a spectacular second goal with half time approaching, volleying Michael Townsend's knock-down a foot wide of the right post from the angle of the box.

44: Cheltenham pressed and harried the home side throughout the first half, typified by Alsop's determined 50-yard charge to win a throw-in at the corner flag, and enjoyed a spell of meaningful pressure as the half drew to a close. Low and Marshall had linked up well down the right, and combined again on the stroke of half time to forge an opening for the Stoke City winger to strike one from 18 yards, but again Burch got down well to smother the effort.

HALF TIME: 0-1

46 SUBSTITUTION: Townsend failed to come out for the second half and was replaced by Andy Gallinagh in central defence.

48 GOAL: Lincoln City 1-1 Cheltenham Town
The Imps were back on terms only three minutes after the break after producing a classic training move to breach the Cheltenham defence from a corner on the right. Gallinagh conceded it and Michael Gordon, making his debut, sent in a low ball. Former Cheltenham trialist Chris Fagan stepped over it and Jamie Clarke thumped the ball low through a sea of legs and past Brown from the edge of the box.

49: Marshall fashioned a chance for Richards to respond straight away, but Burch pushed the striker's effort from a tight angle into the side netting for a corner. The loanee whipped it in from the right to pick out Lewis, who stooped to meet it with a downward header but he failed to trouble the Lincoln number one.

50 SUBSTITUTION: Stefan Oakes took the place of Shane Clarke five minutes into the second half.

60: Fagan drew a tremendous diving save from Brown on the hour, striking a crisp effort from 25 yards but the Robins shotstopper produced a diving save to push it over with his fingertips for a corner which came to nothing.

64 BOOKING: Pulis, son of Stoke City boss Tony, was the first player to go into the book for an ugly challenge on Lewis in midfield.

69 SENDINGS OFF: The game burst into life with a little over 20 minutes to go, sparked by Brown's nasty challenge on Lewis for which the left back received his marching orders. As all the players rushed around referee Graham Salisbury, Lincoln boss Sutton and Richardson squared up between the dugouts. Ian Pearce, the former Fulham centre half who appeared in Cheltenham's FA Cup third round tie at Loftus Road in 2004, became involved and pushed the Cheltenham goalkeeper coach in the chest and was sent off despite spending the game on the Imps bench. The game was held up for eight minutes as the referee got to the bottom of it, eventually sending off Richardson and ordering the former Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea and Celtic striker to the stand.

80 BOOKING: Lewis fell foul of the referee next, booked for a late tackle on centre half Nathan Baker on the edge of the Lincoln box.

81 SUBSTITUTION: Hammond was pressed into action, replacing Alsop up front.

83: Hayles made way for Pook in the closing stages, but Cheltenham couldn't take advantage of their numerical advantage with the closing stages of the game remaining overshadowed by the sendings off 20 minutes from time.

FULL TIME: 1-1

LINCOLN CITY (4-4-2): Burch; Swaibi, Kovacs, Baker, Brown; Gordon, S Clarke (Oakes 50), Pulis, Torres (Smith 23); J Clarke, Fagan. Subs not used: Hone, Kerr, Pearce, Heath, Musselwhite (Gk).

CHELTENHAM TOWN (4-4-2): Brown; Low, Diallo, Townsend (Gallinagh 46), Ridley; Marshall, Bird, Lewis, Hayles (Pook 83); Alsop (Hammond 81), Richards. Subs not used: Hutton, Haynes, Watkins, Richardson (Gk).

REFEREE: G Salisbury

ATTENDANCE: 3,008 (112 from Cheltenham)

Murry Toms at Sincil Bank