Deal Town’s FA Vase hopes were ended on penalties but the manager felt his side should have been out of sight in the first half.

Few would be able to disagree with manager Steve King’s assessment as the Hoops attacked at will down the right flank during the opening half, responding well after conceding a 15th-minute opener. They got back level before the break but never managed to get their noses in front.

Report: Lincoln 1 Deal 1 (4-3 on pens)

Deal boss King said: “It was an end-to-end game, an open game between two good sides and the boys put in a massive effort. For us, we had to kill the game off in the first half when we were dominant.

“If you get in front at any point in the game then you haven’t got to work quite as hard, you can sit in, you can defend, but we never got our noses in front and that meant it kept getting stretched and there were tired legs.

“We’re a very fit side, we do an awful lot of running, but maybe that sometimes is to our detriment. We put in a massive shift last Saturday and on Tuesday (winning back-to-back away league games 3-0) and maybe it was a game too far.”

Tom Chapman was a constant threat down the flank and the Lincoln left-back would have been relieved to see him withdrawn in the second half after giving his all. It wasn’t to be on the day for Deal as the match ended 1-1 and the home side won the penalty shoot-out.

King said: “We played very well first half and we had done our homework, we knew where we could get in and thought we got in numerous times but just lacked what you could call luck, or quality.

“The crosses weren’t quite dropping to someone or if it did drop to someone they got a block and it didn’t quite happen for us.

“I was a little disappointed in the second half, we were hoping to continue with our dominance at that point and I thought then it was more even.

“The support we had was magnificent and I was pleased to have got to this stage. I’m disappointed with the outcome and thought we should have won the game in 90 minutes.”

The game was eventually settled on penalties.

Both sides missed the first of their five but then both scored their next three. It all came down to the fifth and final kick, where Lincoln scored and Deal keeper James Tonkin stepped up and fired over.

King said: “I am emotionless during penalty shoot-outs, when we were dead and buried at Bridgewater (which also went to penalties) in the last round we missed our first one and they had one to win and stuff like that, I just think what will be, will be.

“We did our work, looked at where the penalty takers would go and we knew they were good at penalties, the goalkeeper is a big boy and he makes that goal look quite small, but I have been doing this for a long time and I think like most managers have a 50-50 record on penalty shootouts.

“We won our last one and it didn’t happen (this time) but by that point, it is out of your hands, it is either going to go for you or it isn’t. Tonks has missed a penalty, he’s never missed before, he is normally in the five, it happens.”