IN golfing circles, someone who has the yips suddenly loses their powers on the putting green.

After driving and chipping perfectly, the afflicted is suddenly unable to put the ball in the hole.

After an afternoon of doing everything but put a different kind of ball in the net at Sincil Bank, Accrington Stanley will have to hope that the condition is only temporary when applied to football.

The Reds headed to Lincolnshire knowing that the last time the club had triumphed away to Lincoln City was back in 1947, and in truth they should have been coming home with that hoodoo banished.

With three good wins behind them manager John Coleman named another unchanged side as his team looked to continue their climb up the League Two table.

But their consistent selection was put under threat just six minutes in when Charlie Barnett limped off after coming together with Josh O’Keefe in the centre circle.

Physio Joe Hinnigan indicated it was time for a change, but the midfielder limped back on moments later.

Stanley’s first opening came on 10 minutes after keeper Alex Cisak had made a routine save from Ashley Grimes.

Barnett gave the ball to Terry Gornell on the left corner of the Lincoln area and the striker hit a speculative shot that deflected just over the bar.

Skipper Andy Procter lobbed wide when put through six minutes later and there were better chances to come, but first Cisak had work to do at the other end.

First the Aussie parried an effort from Mustapha Carayol before repelling Gavin McCallum’s left foot curler.

In truth it was pretty much the sum total of what Stanley’s number one had to do.

As half time loomed the away side crafted two clear chances.

With five minutes left Ian Craney crossed low from the right, but Jimmy Ryan was unable to connect sweetly, scuffing well wide.

The midfielder almost atoned when his pinpoint pass picked out Barnett down the left, though.

With keeper Trevor Carson in no man’s land, Barnett pulled the trigger and the net bulged.

But it was the side netting, and the teams went in level.

Barnett’s afternoon ended there, injury forcing him to be replaced by Sean McConville during the interval. And the new man was close to making an immediate impact when he was picked out by Ryan down the right but could only slide his low shot from a tight angle past the post.

The hour mark came and went, and Stanley were still plugging away, counter attacking and setting Craney away. The midfielder outmuscled a Lincoln defender and set himself, but his curling shot flew agonisingly wide.

After offering little in the second half Lincoln began to improve and 13 minutes from time Cisak was called upon. Substitute Ben Hutchinson raced towards goal, only to be tugged back. Hutchinson took the free kick, but shot straight at the keeper.

Moments later Stanley had arguably their best chance of the lot. McConville initially looked to be crossing from the right, but when his ball in sprung back to him off a defender he volleyed viciously for goal. Carson was a beaten man, but again the ball was a whisker outside the far post.

In Coleman’s tenure Stanley had been in this position before and gone on to lose, so when the Red Imps pressed forward in the last 10 minutes visiting nerves were jangling.

Carayol’s cross from the left was flicked up for O’Keefe, but the midfielder hooked it well over before Ali Fuseini drove into the side netting with Cisak at full stretch. The goalkeeper would probably have had it covered if it had been on target.

Even the amount of stoppage time seemed to be conspiring against the Reds, with only one minute indicated, and it was soon all over. The final whistle brought a first point at Sincil Bank for nearly 60 years, but it should have been an end to that long wait for all three.

Stanley: Alex Cisak, Dean Winnard, Phil Edwards, Sean Hessey, Joe Jacobson, Luke Joyce, Andy Procter, Jimmy Ryan (Ray Putterill 77), Ian Craney, Charlie Barnett (Sean McConville 46), Terry Gornell.

Subs not used: Ian Dunbavin, Kevin Long, Tom Smyth, Peter Murphy, Craig Lindfield.

Lincoln: Trevor Carson, Julian Kelly, Adam Watts, Danny Hone, Stephen Hunt, Mustapha Carayol, Ali Fuseini, Ashley Grimes (Ben Hutchinson 74), Josh O'Keefe, Gavin McCallum, Delroy Facey. Subs not used: Joe Anyon, Paul Green, Cian Hughton, Jamie Clapham, Patrick Kanyuka, Scott Spencer.

Referee: Graham Horwood.

Attendance: 2,868.