Another unwanted record falls at City beat Lincoln for the first time in 10 meetings.  After earning the right ot play against organised and committed opposition, City swept aside their south bank neighbours under the guidance of unlikely hero Andy Holt.  Mark Gretton explains how that could be.

Another day, another win and our unbeaten run; like Old Man River, just keeps rollin' along. We disposed of the Imps much more easily than the gloomy had forecast after they had shaded a combative first half. But our current team has the priceless ability to score goals - the two second half strikes from Allsopp and Green that finished the Lincs off were excellent finishes from very missable chances. But these days we have the players, in Allsopp, Green and Elliott, who finish very well whatever the pressure. As the Observer sagely observed, Lincoln had difficulty coping with Allsopp and Elliott. As Elliott was again absent, Lincoln perhaps should have coped better with him. Imagine the trouble they'd have had if he'd got on the pitch!

But we did well against a team that has had far too much of a hold over us in the past. Imp manager Keith Alexander is an impressive man and anyone who thinks football or indeed any sport should be more than merely who can accumulate the most cash the better to acquire the best players should be impressed by how he has made bricks without straw over the last 2 years at Lincoln. But it's no use whining as he did yesterday that his side 'had been the better team' and 'could have won.' They didn't. We did. Laying this particular ghost were:

Musselwhite
Thelwell Whittle Delaney Dawson
Price Ashbee Green Holt
Alsopp Burgess

As we kicked off still rubbing the sleep out of our eyes at the 1pm start the temperature was a chilly 10 deg C - or was this merely an energy saving way of merging the kick off time and the temperature? There was little time to ponder as the Lincs put us under immediate pressure, although producing nothing to frighten the horses. We went close after Whittle's header from Thelwell's cross had found Price who shot tamely and at their keeper. But Price was encouragingly involved early on and there was reason to think that our extra craft would subdue the visiting peasantry.

But no. Suddenly we were well on the back foot. Delaney miscontrolled and mispassed and was baled out by Thelwell and Whittle. Lincoln got a corner, swung it past Musselwhite in flap mode, got the header back across and then one of theirs headed it wide when scoring really did look easier. Then another diagonal Impish cross fell well for Fletcher to take aim only to be foiled by a fine spread save of the sort on which Peter Shmeichel probably still holds the copyright. Custodian of the leather! The rebound was hit wide and we breathed again. But we were rocking at this stage. Whittle allowed a through ball to run on clearly waiting for a Muss call that never came and in the ensuing clearing scramble there was a bit of arm waving and pouting going on. The Lincsters were generally first to the ball and were typically muscular. We were kept amused by the antics of their left back Mayo, who managed to give away a foul throw by twice deliberately stealing yards whilst the referee stared at him and then spraying passes to no-one in particular, like Hellman's chucked wildly onto a green salad. Eventually front man Yeo lost his temper with his radar less supplier and administered a fairly forthright bollocking. All good stuff.

But we kept plugging away with a minority of possession and we were making chances, as is now our way. Allsopp got in a shot-cum-cross that their keeper flapped at. Delaney broke up a move with a fine heavy tackle, retained the ball, got it to Green who linked with Allsopp who found Price who lined it up and hit the side netting. A pity, he should have done better. But better was on the cards for us. The otherwise unimpressive Burgess won a header and put away Andy Holt who capered forward in good style. His run took him to the edge of the area where he found Allsopp who held the ball long enough for Holt to continue his run take the return pass and one touch before finishing thrillingly from 12 yards into the roof of the net. It was clearly enough like Elliott to fool a journalist from a national broadsheet. 1-0, barely deserved on possession, but a quality goal that pointed up a difference between the 2 sides We've got quality reserves, they haven't. Lincoln had announced overnight, with a bit of a fanfare, that they had 'snapped up' Matt Carbon from Walsall to cover their defensive problems. That's the sort of fanfare that you play on a Kazoo. Carbon, as befits someone who had become disillusioned with life at the Bescot (hard to believe) and semi-retired was off the pace and badly caught out by Holt's Elliott impression. Clearly the manager had decided that Carbon was the weakest Linc so it was goodbye as he didn't emerge for the second half, being replaced by sometime Tiger defender Matt Bloomer. But whilst Carbon had dated, his namesake, though he didn't exactly bloom, neither did he wilt and he certainly deserved to be the one who stayed 'til the end, the Matt finish, if you like.

Second half and we killed it off in a matter of minutes. Green had started brightly, but it was an innocuous ball that was not dealt with at all by one of theirs who hit a criminally weak backpass towards his goalie. Allsopp was on it immediately, he never looked like missing as he bore down on the hapless keeper and he didn't, 2-0, game over.

It did now look a whole different business, the goalscorers were clearly buoyed by their successes and Holt bustled down the wing as Allsopp, looking happier than for a couple of weeks, schemed in the middle. We defended a throw in well and on the break Green found Price whose run and cross found Allsopp whose first time shot was well saved low. Excellent football, made possible by the fact that Allsopp had not been back defending as he did for the corners. We look so good on the counter that it seems a shame that we don't allow ourselves to try it more.

More good work from Green found Burgess and his header was blocked for a corner. The big fella was having another game when it somehow didn't happen. He should have put the finishing touch to another good Holt-Allsopp move but was again ponderous rather than potent. But we were controlling matters and another quick break from a broken Linc attack found Allsopp who flicked on to Green who had outpaced the faltering defence. A clear run on goal, more awful deja-vu for their keeper as this time he was beaten by one on one by a crisp left-footed strike. 3-0 and Green had been well worth a goal.

And that was more or less that. We won the first half by virtue of having quality when it counted and scrapping when we needed to. We won the second by controlling it, Whittle and Delaney continuing their recent masterclass and we won the game because we finished nervelessly while they finished nervously. And so our unbeaten run continues whilst theirs goes back to nought. And given that it's taken us 11 matches to do that to them, then that is worthy of celebration in itself.

HULL CITY (4-4-2): Musselwhite; Thelwell, Whittle, Delaney, Dawson; Price, Ashbee, Green, Holt; Burgess, Allsopp.  Subs: France (for Price, 83), Webb (for Allsopp, 85), Hinds (for Burgess, 87), Fettis, Williams.

Goals: Holt 45; Allsopp 52; Green 80

Booked: None

Sent Off: None

LINCOLN CITY: Marriott, Liburd, Mayo, Weaver, Morgan, Carbon, Butcher, Gain, Fletcher, Yeo, Green.  Subs: Bloomer (for Carbon, 45), May (for Liburd, 60), Willis (for Gain, 76), Sedgemore, Pearce.

Goals: None

Booked: None

Sent Off: None

ATTENDANCE: 17,453