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Cometh the Hour…
Cometh the Hour…

Lincoln Preview

By: Richard Lord
Date: 15/05/2006

SATURDAY'S win at Sincil Bank has made Grimsby Town many pundits' favourites to progress into the League 2 play-off final at the Millennium Stadium, but they still have to face a Lincoln side determined to overcome the 1-0 deficit and make their fourth consecutive play-off attempt a successful one.

Home > 2005-2006 Season > Previews > Lincoln (h)

The Opposition

Overview
Russell Slade's men have home advantage in the second leg and a clean sheet will see the Mariners head to Cardiff on May 28. However, Keith Alexander's (left) side are certainly capable of springing a surprise, and the awe of the occasion - with local pride at steak - might see the visitors make things very difficult at Blundell Park on Tuesday evening. The Imps have been a difficult side to beat all season, losing just 11 matches in the league - but there must be question marks over the sheer amount of draws they've recorded - at home and away - totalling 21. Their record away from Sincil Bank suggests that they play a tight game, but their methods might have to change due to the circumstance they currently find themselves in.

Their Squad
Goalkeeper Alan Marriott has been a loyal servant for City, amassing over 250 appearances since he joined the club in 1999. The defensive trio of Gareth Mcauley, Paul Morgan and Jamie Mccombe are highly-rated. Their height and physical presence has made them difficult to break down, although they're a little more susceptible on the road. Lincoln also have an array of talent up front, supported by an attacking midfield. Franny Green and Jamie Forrester have been leading the front line in recent weeks, with top scorer Marvin Robinson providing the nucleus of the attack. They are ably assisted by Nat Brown (left) - an attacking player deployed in midfield for much of this season.

Key Player
Although Marvin Robinson, Franny Green Jamie Forrester have been the main threat to League 2 defences towards the conclusion of season 05/06, Scott Kerr (left) has been revelling in some good form of his own of late. His performance against the Mariners at the weekend served as a warning for the second leg, where he'll be pulling the strings from midfield on Tuesday night.

Recent Form

TownLincoln
WLincoln(a)1-0
DNorthampton(h)1-1
DMacclesfield(a)1-1
WCheltenham(a)1-0
DOrient(a)0-0
Finished 4th in League Two.
LGrimsby(h)0-1
DRochdale(h)1-1
WShrewsbury(a)1-0
DOrient(h)1-1
WWycombe(a)3-0
Finished 7th in League Two.

Top Scorers

TownLincoln
Gary Jones16
Michael Reddy14
Birch10
Robinson10
Brown8

Team News

TownLincoln

  • John McDermott is likely to sit this one out after sustaining a hamstring injury midway through the first half of the first leg. Gary Croft is a direct replacement.

  • Curtis Woodhouse is a major doubt with a thigh strain meaning Jean-Paul Kalala or Ciaran Toner may come into midfield.

  • Michael Reddy may feature on the bench again, with Junior Mendes starting alongside top scorer Gary Jones.

  • Lincoln have no fresh injury worries ahead of the game, so Alexander will ponder a reshuffle of personnel. He could be tempted to start with Simon Yeo, but his three-pronged strike force of Jamie Forrester, Franny Green and Marvin Robinson have been doing well of late. It's likely that Big Keith will stick to the same starting eleven that began the first leg.

    • Probable Teams

    TownLincoln
    1Steve Mildenhall
    20Gary Croft
    17Tom Newey
    6Justin Whittle
    12Rob Jones
    15Gary Cohen
    11Andy Parkinson
    7JPK Kalala
    8Paul Bolland
    19Gary Jones
    31Junior Mendes
    1Alan Marriott
    4Gareth McAuley
    5Paul Morgan
    6Jamie McCombe
    2Lee Beevers
    24Jeff Hughes
    11Scott Kerr
    23Nat Brown
    22Jamie Forrester
    26Marvin Robinson
    9Francis Green

    Subs

    TownLincoln
    9Michael Reddy
    4Ben Futcher
    17Glen Downey
    10Marc Goodfellow
    18Ciaran Toner
    3 Paul Mayo
    17Colin Cryan
    19Lee Frecklington
    8Gary Birch
    29Simon Yeo

    Head to Head

    It's been well documented that this will be the 100th meeting between the two sides, although several different sources don't take into account meetings beyond the league and two major cup competitions. Grimsby hold the advantage over their near neighbours, with 35 league wins to the Imps' 25.

    P 98 W 44 D 25 L 29 F 189 A 143

    Lincoln Head-to-Head (15th on The Opposition Ladder)

    Last Meeting

    You'd need to have a very short memory (or a selective one) in order to forget what happened the last time these two sides met. Gary Jones' 22nd minute strike is all that separates the teams - and as we have seen with Preston, a good away result in a play-off semi-final doesn't always guarantee you a passage to Cardiff.

    Grimsby Team: Mildenhall, McDermott (Croft 18), Newey, Whittle, Futcher, Cohen (Reddy 68), Parkinson, Bolland, Woodhouse, Gary Jones, Mendes (Toner 78) Subs (not used): Kalala, Goodfellow

    Lincoln Team: Marriott, McAuley, Morgan, McCombe, Beevers (Frecklington 60), Hughes, Kerr, Brown, Robinson (Birch 76), Forrester, Green (Yeo 60).
    Subs: (not used) Mayo, Cryan

    Attendance: 8,037   Report

    Prediction

    Much will depend on Lincoln's capabilities to attack from the start. Both teams have had very low-scoring matches towards the climax of the season, so just a couple of goals could feature. However, Lincoln will have to attack at some point and Grimsby will always a threat on the break. Slade will look to keep the game tight but Alexander should be trying to open the Mariners up.

    2-1 to the Mariners

    Recent Predictions

    GamePredictionScorePoints
    Lincoln0-01-00
    Macclesfield2-01-10
    Cheltenham1-01-03
    Leyton Orient2-10-00
    Carlisle1-10-10
    Wrexham1-12-00
    Lincoln2-10-50
    Rochdale2-22-23
    Bury1-02-11
    Barnet1-03-01
    		 Reader's POMs

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    Admission Prices

    Click on the link for ticket prices to Blundell Park.

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