Erik Ring was the happiest man in the LNER Arena after scoring his first goal in English football, helping Lincoln defeat 10-men Northampton 2-1 in League One.
Ring, who joined from AIK in the summer, converted fellow substitute Jovon Makama’s cross in the 88th minute after Tyler Roberts was sent off for a second booking, propelling the Imps to fifth place and ending the Cobblers’ four-game undefeated streak.
Tariqe Fosu gave Town the lead in the second minute, but Tom Hamer, who later injured his ankle, equalised 16 minutes later.
“It was a tough game and I was happy to come on and score,” Ring said.
“During training, we worked on getting me inside the box and closer to the goal. It was a fantastic sensation to be the champion.”
Imps deputy head coach Tom Shaw agreed it was a hard-fought victory, saying: “It wasn’t as aesthetically pleasing as our previous game, but it was worth the same number of points, and we came out on top.”
“There were definitely some significant learning moments for us in there, and it’s always good to learn when you’re up three points.
“Tonight’s match was so different to Saturday and was a bit scruffier, but we still created chances in the chaos.”
Match Action
Within 90 seconds, the Cobblers took the lead as Roberts outfoxed the City defence and raced down the left to set up Fosu for a low shot.
Roberts almost put a Reeco Hackett corner into his own net, but the resultant delivery found Hackett’s cross at the back post, where he crashed the ball in to level the score.
Roberts was then sent off after 75 minutes for punching the ball away as City earned a throw-in, before Makama set up Ring to score the winning goal.
Northampton manager Jon Brady was visibly frustrated, both with the match referees and with his fired forward Roberts.
“We had the lead, but their first goal…” (Bailey) Cadamarteri grabbed (Ben) Foxy’s arm, and the officials missed it – we’re not getting any breaks right now,” he remarked.
“It is quite frustrating. Tyler received his first booking for a 50-50 shoulder-to-shoulder combat, and I can’t believe it was a yellow card.
“But his second, which I agreed on, when the ball was out of play, was unacceptable. You can’t do that; you’re a professional football player, and we need him on the field.
“We then have to defend for almost 26 minutes with ten men. We did an excellent job of limiting them to a couple long-range attempts, and then they made one big effort and scored because we were simply too loose in the box.
“It’s difficult to accept and really aggravating. Lincoln is a challenging town to visit, and I am proud of my team’s efforts.”
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