NO DODGY REF THIS TIME (not the same 1 at least)
By Nathan Jackson
January 12 2004
The Imps are looking to make it only 2 defeats in 20 on Saturday against a side who've lost their last 7. It will also be an oppurtunity for the Imps to gain revenge against Bury after the worst refereeing display this season. The Imps will move to 6th if they win and within 2 points of 5th.
After the diabolical refereeing display in the game at Gigg Lane earlier in the season that robbed the Imps of some deserved points, the Imps are looking to gain revenge against a very different Bury team. If City win, it will put them within touching distance of the top 5 as 3 points will move the Imps to within 2 points of 5th placed Yeovil who are in the FA Cup against Liverpool on Sunday (come on Yeovil!). It will also use up the game in hand that the Imps have on everyone around them (those who aren't playing on Saturday anyway).
TEAM NEWS FOR THE IMPS
It's as you were for the Imps with no new injury worries. Richard Butcher is expected to have fully recovered from the leg injury sustained at Boston.
BURY
Probably the only team in last seasons playoffs that didn't show why they were there, they just seemed the odd ones out and it showed after a 3-1 aggregate defeat against Bournemouth in the semi-finals saw the Shakers fall at the first hurdle.
Bury got the season of to a very unusual start. They scored 4 goals in their opening 2 goals but still lost both of them but their next results pushed them quickly up the table. A victory over Kidderminster was followed by the incredibly fortunate win against Lincoln.
City had led for most of the match and had dominated the majority of the play despite of the referee's awful performance. However, a goal 10 minutes from time looked to extend City's winless run at the start of the season but at least it was a point........WRONG! A controversial last minute penalty gave Bury a 2-1 lead that they barely deserved.
Result have been mixed since then and they sacked boss, Andy Preece a few weeks ago and replaced him with Graham Barrow. Since then, they have lost all 3 games under him with the biggest irony being in the 3-1 defeat to Carlisle. Preece had signed for Carlisle less than 12 hours after being sacked by Bury and proved an inspiration for the Divison's bottom club, infact, Carlisle have gone undefeated since Preece arrived.
Their last 6 league results have all been defeats and it looks like a hard season of struggling for last season's playoff semi-finalists. The defeats have been against Macclesfield (1-0), Hull (2-0), Rochdale (2-1), Leyton Orient (2-0), Carlisle (3-1) and Huddersfield (1-0).
The phrase "ship without a rudder" applies best to Bury's situation and it would be a great achievement for them just to finish in the top 20.
LAST 5 RESULTS AGAINST BURY
BURY 2 CITY 1
BURY 2 CITY 0
CITY 1 BURY 1
BURY 1 CITY 1 (FA Cup Replay - City win 3-2 on pens)
CITY 1 BURY 1 (FA Cup)
PREDICITIONS
Apparantly, on Sunday, Huddersfield were awful but still managed to grind out a win against Bury. City on the other hand have only lost 2 of the last 19 matches and both were away. I doubt it'll be a goal-fest but City should still come out as winners.
CITY 2 BURY 1
