Lincoln City will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing midweek derby defeat at county rivals Boston and produce the sort of form that has seen them claim second spot in the League Two table as they host struggling Bury at Sincil Bank.
It should be business as usual for John Schofield’s men as they seek the win that could take them to the top of the pile, and if the head coach’s remarks after Wednesday’s loss are anything to go by then City will bag another three points in their quest for promotion.
‘Good sides do not lose back-to-back games,’ said Schofield in the wake of the Pilgrims debacle, looking ahead to Saturday’s clash with the Shakers.
If that is true then the Imps will need to up the ante and show a lot more mettle than they did at York Street in midweek, with nearly every player in a black and red shirt underperforming.
Bury have been enduring problems all season and there are rumblimngs of dressing-room unrest at Gigg Lane, although manager Chris Casper has refuted those allegations.
Casper told the Bury Times: ‘Results haven’t been great, but on a match-to-match basis the spirit in our dressing room has been excellent.
‘There have been no teacups thrown or massive bust ups. I treat players how I would want to be treated.’
The rumblings of discontent have breached the terraces at the Lancashire club as well, with one fan even texting a local radio phone-in show on Saturday night to say Casper had resigned, while Bury’s official website messageboard has been inundated with fans demanding Casper’s removal from the hotseat.
Just like Wednesday night, this has all the makings of another shock result, with the underdogs fighting for their lives against a side ready to whack their flag in the summit as they prepare for a season of glory. But this City side can rise to the challenge and it wouldn’t be a total surprise if they responded to the Boston defeat in the best possible and give the Shakers a real pounding…
Vital Quotes:
John Schofield, Lincoln City head coach:
I’m expecting Bury to pose similar kinds of problems as Boston.
‘Just because we lost on Wednesday, it hasn’t undone all our good work so far this season. The players were in yesterday and the spirit is good.’
Chris Casper, Bury manager:
Lincoln are going well this season, but at least we are scoring goals now and that’s pleased me.
‘We are leaking goals which is not good, but that’s something we are working on in training. Refereeing decisions haven’t gone our way either, but I’ve always said over the course of the season these decisions have a way of working themselves out.’
Lincoln City Team News:
Nicky Eaden will play the last game – his seventh – of a one-month loan spell, although Ryan Amoo could get the nod to replace the Nottingham Forest utility man after a lacklustre display against Boston on Wednesday night.
That should be the only selection poser for Imps head coach John Schofield who is likely to name another unchanged line-up.
Player to watch: Alan Marriott
All eyes will be on Lincoln goalkeeper Alan Marriott following his blunder against Boston on Wednesday night. He also looked unsteady a couple of times the ball came into his area and any more clangers could see him replaced by back-up stopper Simon Rayner in the near future.
Bury Team News:
Defensive duo Paul Scott and Tom Kennedy are minor doubts for Bury, with both picking up ankle knocks in the midweek 2-2 draw with Accrington, while Glynn Hurst plays the third match of his one-month loan deal.
And apart from goalkeeper Alan Fettis continuing to be sidelined with a broken arm, boss Chris Casper has reported no more injury problems and is expected to name an unchanged line-up for the trip to Sincil Bank.
Player to watch: Glynn Hurst
Born-again Christian Glynn Hurst joined the Shakers on loan from Shrewsbury last week and already has two goals to his name, bagging a brace in a 2-2 draw with Barnet.
The well-travelled 30-year-old has linked up well with fellow striker Andy Bishop and the pair of them could do pose some problems for the Imps defenders on Saturday.
Match Facts & Stats
Lincoln:
ast six matches: WWWLWL
ast six home: WDDWWL
Bury:
ast six matches: LLLLDD
ast six away:LLWLLL
Match Prediction:
Lincoln should be backed to give Bury a serious beating on Saturday and although the 3/5 with bet365 is hardly earth-shattering, it will yield a return for punters.
Scott Kerr looks stunning value at 20/1 to bag the first goal, while the Imps are a tempting bet at 5/2 to score three or more goals and you can get 16/1 on Mark Stallard to net a hat-trick.
Next Fixtures:
Lincoln
riday 6 October: Hartlepool (h)
Bury:
aturday 14 October: Macclesfield (a)
