Lincoln vs County

County travel to Sincil Bank this weekend looking to inflict the first defeat in four matches on the home side.

David Holdsworth’s side sit just above the relegation zone in the Blue Square Premier knowing a win against resurgent County would help them claw their way away from the lower reaches of the division.

For County it’s only been positive news this week. Firstly, the club announced that popular midfielder Matty Mainwaring would be staying with the club until at least January of next year, with a deal loosely set in place to take the contract until the end of the season.

Last Wednesday night, a very well-attended Edgeley Park crowd saw a proud County reserve team go down 2-1 to a strong Man Utd side which ‘boasted’ £7m Bebe, striker Kiko Macheda and the exciting prospect (and eventual match-winner for The Reds) Hernanez.

And lastly, boss James/Jim/Jimmy/Jamie Gannon confirmed that striker Danny Hattersley had suffered no real heart problems in the wake of his collapse on the pitch in the 5-3 FA Cup win over Stalybridge Celtic last weekend.

Hattersley went down in the first minute after attempting an overhead kick and landing awkwardly, but fears of a heart attack and further heart problems after the incident were allayed by Gannon.

Vital Quotes:

Jim Gannon: (on the FA Cup draw)‘I said after Stalybridge that I hoped it was a good draw for our fans; a home draw that excited them or somewhere local a lot of them could get to.’

‘It`s good to be playing against a league team but it`s just disappointing in terms of the amount of travelling for our fans.’

‘That might put a bit of a downer on it for them but I`m sure that when it comes around, those who can go will be excited about it.’

(On Danny Hattersley’s injury against Stalybridge): ”Looking at the incident, he looked OK after the fall and looked like he was going to get up – but then something affected him.

‘There was concern about the neck, the head and the heart but the heart situation has been alleviated and the X-ray revealed little wrong with his neck.’

‘I think it was partial concussion and he was a bit dizzy – that`s the thing we have to manage and make sure he`s OK before he does any physical activity.’

‘He has to let himself recover slowly but surely.’ (Credit to the Manchester Evening News/Stockport Express for the quotes)

Lincoln boss David Holdsworth: ‘Stockport are a big strong side. They have a blend of youth and experience this year and have some very talented players.’

‘They pushed Wrexham to the maximum recently and have two boys up top who are a real handful.’

‘You have to combat their height and stop the supply so we will be working on that on the training ground and doing our best against a very good side.’

Lincoln City Team News:

Lincoln come into the match on the back of a four game unbeaten run, keeping two clean sheets in the past two matches.

The Imps have matched County in reaching the first round of the FA Cup proper, winning 2-0 away at Halifax last weekend.

Player to watch: Nicky Nicolau

Midfielder Nicolau has already struck 5 goals this season for City, and sits as their top scorer in the absence of striker Jamie Taylor (6 goals).

With a few prominent attackers doubtful for Lincoln, the home side will be looking to Nicolau to get them firing and move them away from the foot of the table.

County Team News:

Danny Hattersley misses out for County after his heart scare/shoulder injury against Stalybridge, while Danny O’Donnell is a doubt although he made his return to action for SCFC in the narrow defeat to Man Utd in the Senior Cup on Wednesday.

Player to watch: Danny Whitehead

Whitehead has been a revelation this season for The Hatters, impressing fans and scouts alike with his pace and skill – adding an obvious eye for goal to his repoertoire, with 5 goals this season.

With Hattersley missing out, we can also look to joint top-scorer Craig Hobson to cause the inconsistent Lincoln defence some problems.

Match Odds

Lincoln – 11/8
Draw – 23/10
County – 9/5

(William Hill odds)

Next Fixtures:

Southend Utd vs COUNTY
Roots Hall
Saturday 3rd November
FA Cup 1st Round