Thank you to Scotimp for answering these questions.
What is your prediction for the game on Saturday?
It is far from the easiest opening fixture we could have had, away to one of last season’s promotion contenders. With Wycombe’s record of scoring and conceding barely a goal a game, this looks a tough one. Lincoln will score goals this season but will need time to acclimatise to the higher standards of League Two. This has a draw written all over it – I think both sides might privately be content with 1-1.
What are your hopes and expectations for the season?
Danny Cowley said publicly this week that his target is 45 points and survival, but privately he will be setting his sights higher. Promotion is the obvious hope, but that is a very tall order for any side coming from the National League regardless of how good they are. The fact that Lincoln beat one League One team, two Championship teams, and one Premier League team on their own ground last season does suggest that they are more than capable of holding their own, and they have strengthened during the summer. The expectation is probably a play-off challenge, which I believe may well be easier to achieve than winning the National League. Lincoln are well-placed to give it a good go – they have sustainable investment, plus the £2.5 million from the FA Cup run, the EFL solidarity payment, the revenue from 6,000 season tickets, a new training ground due to open in December, some talented players, and one of the brightest young managers in the game.
Which Lincoln players should we look out for?
Centre half Sean Raggett is in the news again, with a host of Premier League and Championship clubs chasing his signature; he offers a goal threat as well as his defensive attributes, but he may have been sold by the opening day. Midfielder and runaway Player of the Season Alex Woodyard has class in abundance and is another player on his way to better things than Lincoln. Colossus Matt Rhead is a far better player than his detractors allow him credit for, with a great touch on the ball and above average ability in the air. Winger Jordan Maguire-Drew is fast and skilful, as is the other winger Josh Ginnelly. New signing Michael Bostwick won Peterborough’s Player of the Season award last season and will form a formidable partnership in central midfield with Woodyard. Striker Matt Green has come in from Mansfield and should score goals this season with the supply line Lincoln have.
Who was a better player for Lincoln, Gareth Ainsworth or Barry Richardson?
Gareth Ainsworth, without a doubt. He won our Player of the Season award two seasons running before we sold him to Port Vale for big money. Despite spending little more than two seasons at Lincoln, he was voted fourth in our League Legends poll (a vote by supporters to name the 100 greatest Lincoln City players). Barry was very popular, but did not scale those same heights.
Other than those two, are there any current/past Wycombe players that you particularly like or dislike?
Graham Bressington was a classy player; we signed him after he impressed against us in 1987, but he never realised his obvious potential. I was a big fan of Kevin Betsy – he always looked a cut above when he played against us, even in his latter days at Woking. Matt Bloomfield has shown how good a player he is over 15 years, which is fantastic loyalty in this day and age. Paul Hayes has a great career record, we know him well from his Scunthorpe days. But Wycombe have always struck me as being the sum of their parts, rather than having star names; that has been one of their strengths for me.
Is Lincoln in the north, or the Midlands?
Not even the regional television companies can agree on that. I live in Scotland nowadays, so it is most definitely in the south to me.
What question would you least want to be asked about Lincoln City?
“How on earth did you end up getting relegated in May 2011 after being in contention for the play-offs in March?”
The answer may be libellous, shameful, embarrassing and elusive in equal measure. The damage caused by 8 weeks of profound ineptitude has taken 6 years to repair.
What’s the best chant you’ve heard at your ground?
“Tilson out! Tilson out! Tilson out!”
See the answer to the question above.
What do rubbish journalists get wrong about you most? We are often referred to as the choirboys rather than the Chairboys, for example.
Nothing in particular, but there were too many errors to count last season when the world’s media descended on Sincil Bank for six months. Even the usually impressive Jeff Stelling referred to Danny Cowley as ‘Gary Crowley’. Fans have been accused of jumping on the bandwagon, but we had lots of journalists doing it too. Only today I read an article referring to Lincoln’s seven years in the Conference (it was six).
Do grown men weep themselves gently to sleep at night with the memory of letting Keith Scott go for a pittance?
City have a long and proud history of letting players go for a pittance, they had a genius for it in the 1980s in particular. Others you could mention are Gary Crosby, Shane Nicholson, Trevor Peake, George Shipley, Steve Thompson, Phil Turner, Jason Lee and more. They all went on to appear in the top flight, and the combined transfer fee we received for them was a bag of gobstoppers and a pencil (second-hand).
Is it realistic that Lincoln are 4th favourites for promotion?
There is absolutely no way of knowing. Cheltenham had a dismal season after going up as champions in 2016, yet Bristol Rovers went straight through League Two after winning promotion from the National League via the play-offs the season before. Last season’s FA Cup run indicates Lincoln fear no one, and Cowley and his extensive management team are very clever analytically and tactically. They have a dangerous-looking squad, but League Two is a big step-up from the National League. There are numerous clubs spending big money, and despite rumours to the contrary, Lincoln stick to an established wage structure and have been outbid by the likes of Mansfield and Chesterfield already. There are lots of clubs who could make automatic promotion or the play-offs – Luton, Swindon, Wycombe, Cambridge, Mansfield and more – and they all have more experience of League Two than we have. Cowley has never played or managed in the Football League, so this will be a big learning curve for him. The key factor might prove to be momentum, and Lincoln have that in abundance. But fourth favourites? Probably not.
– @WWFCOfficial Supporters' Q&A With Scotimp:https://t.co/UBv42uvAQK#Chairboys #CowleysCampaign #EFL
— Vital Lincoln City (@VitalLincoln) August 3, 2017
