Defender Craig Dove struck the decider on the stroke of half-time with a cross that struck the inside of the far post and the Lincoln goalkeeper on its way over the line, and manager Peter Ward said: "It was a comfortable 1-0 win."

Grove could afford to waste a penalty midway through the second half when Dave Walker fired at the keeper, but Ward reckoned they should have had two more spot-kicks.

He explained: "Liam Shotton had already gone through twice and been fetched down without the referee giving anything, and when he did give something it was the softest of the three.

"In fact he apologised to Liam afterwards for making a mistake with the second decision."

The victory keeps Kidsgrove in second place ahead of tomorrow night's home summit meeting with leaders Barwell, and Ward added: "We were the better side. We had opportunities to score more and defended well when we had to." Write the Sentinel.