A bruising scoreless draw between St Joseph and Lincoln Red Imps

Lincoln Red Imps 0-0 St Joseph

A physical game with much at stake saw tensions rise early on. An injury to Joe Martinez in the first five minutes forced Lincoln into their first change.

The opening ten minutes saw both sides probing each other’s defenses, testing the ground. Lincoln settled into the match quicker and began to control the pace as they approached the twenty-minute mark, pushing the Saints deep into their half. However, despite prolonged possession, Lincoln couldn’t find a breakthrough and had to defend deep as St Joseph weaved their way into Lincoln’s half. Neither side had a clear chance to break the deadlock.

In the 23rd minute, Lincoln broke down the right, but the final ball found no one in the middle, and St Joseph’s defense cleared from inside the six-yard box. Harsh challenges continued, forcing the referee, Barcelo, to show yellow cards.

By the 30-minute mark, it was proving to be a bruising affair with little quality or goal opportunities. The high stakes set the tone for the match. St Joseph had the next best chance on the half-hour mark after a quick buildup, but a curler from the edge of Lincoln’s penalty box missed the target. Just two minutes later, St Joseph came close again, with a bouncing ball inside the six-yard box causing confusion for the Lincoln keeper. The final touch from a St Joseph player ended up hitting the side netting.

Despite the continuous fouls, the referee did not produce as many cards as fans called for, doing little to curb the challenges where the rivalry between the two clubs was playing its part.

The final five minutes of the half saw urgency from both sides, with scrappy play and some feigned injuries, reflecting the heckling from the terraces. The first half ended scoreless, with technical staff quickly ushering players off the field to prevent tensions from boiling over.

The second half started much like the first. After 54 minutes, a 50-50 challenge saw Banda bravely stand his ground to stop De Barr, with both Gibraltar internationals needing treatment. Banda’s steadfastness prevented a toe poke from creeping past his near post, though he seemed to take the brunt of the collision on his right arm and leg.

Lincoln failed to test Banda from the resulting corner, wasting a good opportunity with a poorly delivered cross. A corner at the other end just minutes later saw a header glance wide at the back post after a deflection. The subsequent corner was taken short and blocked for a throw-in, but the long throw piled pressure on Lincoln’s defense. A quick break followed, but decisive defending pulled the player away from their goal-bound run, resulting in a goal kick.

There was a delay as a St Joseph player received treatment off the pitch, coinciding with Banda being forced to change shirts, which delayed the resumption of play for several minutes.

With Lincoln scheduled to play again on Sunday and Wednesday, the bruising encounter was likely to take its toll on players who would have little rest. Some of the Lincoln squad were expected to be selected for Gibraltar. For St Joseph, who remained unbeaten going into the match and had a normal weekly fixture schedule, maintaining their unbeaten run was a positive result.

Neither side, however, was content with a scoreless draw. As the match entered the final 20 minutes, the momentum and intensity remained unchanged. A foul near the top of the box in the 73rd minute produced a free kick for Lincoln, which led to a disputed yellow card and a subsequent sending-off. The St Joseph manager, irate over the red card, stepped onto the field and was also sent off. The free kick was blocked by the defensive wall, and a subsequent long throw saw a loose ball fall to Bent, who struck it just wide of the goal.

St Joseph made changes after going down to ten men, but Lincoln continued to press. De Barr attempted a curler, but it went well wide. With every foul on St Joseph players, pressure mounted on the referee to show more yellow cards, though the players themselves remained composed.

In the 86th minute, De Barr dribbled past players and managed a shot, but it was blocked at the near post. St Joseph struggled to clear the ball from their six-yard box as Lincoln maintained the pressure.

Tensions remained high in the final five minutes, and a second yellow card for Dan Bent leveled the playing field, leaving both sides with ten men. St Joseph didn’t get another chance on goal until the 91st minute, their first attempt since the start of the second half.

With ten minutes of injury time added, both sides had the opportunity to break the deadlock. Tired legs and fatigue defined injury time, with St Joseph getting a shot straight into the keeper’s arms. A Lincoln corner in the 100th minute was met with the final whistle, as both teams shared the points in a scoreless draw that did little to separate them in the title race.