Imps aim for a repeat result against Shrews
By Nathan Jackson
January 11 2007
Lincoln City will go into Saturday's game with Shrewsbury hoping to replicate the luck that saw a win earlier this season. City were second best at Gay Meadow but came out with all 3 points in a game that saw City thank the woodwork a few times and typical Derek Asamoah shooting.
After the Imps entertaing game against the first team that beat us this season, comes the first team that gave us a tough game. The game on Monday night was one of the most entertaining games I've seen in a while and it gained plaudits from all around League 2 as being a good advert for this level of football. In all fairness though, it was a game that City should have lost because we were second best for the vast majority of the match. It seems an irony in a way that our next opponents are another team that controlled their home game against us, yet still failed to win.
It's important that City get something out of this game now that the teams below us are within a win of us, and with a game in hand. Thankfully though, the weekend sees two or our main rivals play each other and you'd think that an MK win over Hartlepool would make it a 4 horse race for automatic promotion again. City haven't lost to Shrewsbury in the league since a Jamie Tolley toe poke in the 93rd minute gave the visitors a 2-1 win back in the 2001/2 season.
This could also be the last chance for some players as with at least one new player set to join next week, it will mean that certain players might have their last chance saloon when it comes to first team football. Hopefully that will inspire the players to get something out of the game......hopefully.
Well one player guaranteed to be out and that is Paul Morgan after he picked up City's first red card of the season against MK Dons. He is likely to be replaced by Adie Moses, who will more than likely partner Nat Brown in defence. Other than that, there probably won't be any changes with Mayo and Hughes down the left, Beevers and Amoo on the right, Kerr and Freck in the central midfield, and Forrester and Stallard upfront.
Beevers Brown Moses Mayo
Amoo Kerr Frecklington Hughes
Forrester Stallard
Shrewsbury are against challenging for promotion and will come into the game at Sincil Bank full of confidence following on from becoming the first team to score past Hartlepool in nearly 2 months. However, one thing that might cost Shrewsbury a chance at promotion is their record against the clubs in the current top 7. They've only won 1 game against any of the current top 7, and that came away at Hartlepool a while ago.
Shrewsbury's main problem appears to be failing to score goals against sides who they really should beat. Afterall, with no disrespect to Barnet, you'd expect Shrewsbury to beat Barnet at home. Whereas sometimes they don't go in at one end, they're certainly flying in at the other end with only 7 clean sheets so far, a record they'll have to improve if they hope to barge into the playoffs.
Shrewsbury have a good side, and other than face that is familiar to Imps fans (Asamoah), Ben Davies and Andy Cooke could walk into most sides in the division. Asamoah isn't the only former Imp at Gay Meadow after the Shrews loaned in Rushden striker, Leo Fortune-West.