Lincoln v Grimsby Preview

The Opposition

Both teams have a poor record in the competition and, with both sides having vital forthcoming league matches, neither side is likely to be putting this tournament high on the list of priorities. Lincoln have only progressed past the first round twice in the last five seasons, whilst The Mariner have gone out in the first round in the last three seasons and have not won a game since the Wembley victory in 1998.

Lincoln have two of the leading scorers in League Two with Forrester and Mark Stallard on 8 and 7 goals respectively, and are comfortably the highest scoring side in the division. Another ex-Mariner Martin Gritton (left) has mainly been used as a substitute, but does have two goals so far and is likely to play some part in the game. Their defence does not appear the tightest on paper, although some first team defenders, including captain Paul Morgan and Adie Moses, have been injured.

Recent Form

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Team News

In order to eliminate a reserve contest, the Football League’s new ruling for the competition is that teams start with at least 6 of the 11 players with the most appearances for the season. However, it is likely that both sides will rest as many players as possible.

Head to Head

Town have the upper hand against The Imps over the years and won the last time the teams met in a cup competition; Johnny Rowan’s last minute winner giving Town a 2-1 victory in the 2001/02 Carling Cup 1st Round. This clash will the 100th meeting between the two sides.

P 99 W 45 D 25 L 29 F 191 A 144

Lincoln Head-to-Head (17th on The Opposition Ladder)

Last Meeting

The last time the two sides met at Sincil Bank was famously only 5 months ago when The Mariners secured a 1-0 Play Off Semi Final victory, avenging the 5-0 league hammering in March, before clinching a 3-1 aggregate win the following week.

Grimsby Team: Mildenhall, McDermott (Croft 18), Futcher, Whittle, Newey, Cohen (Reddy 68), Bolland, Woodhouse, Parkinson, Jones, Mendes (Toner 78)
Subs (not used): Kalala, Goodfellow

Lincoln Team: Marriott, McAuley, Morgan, McCombe, Hughes, Beevers (Frecklington 60), Kerr, Brown, Robinson (Birch 76), Forrester, Green (Yeo 60)
Subs: (not used) Mayo, Cryan

Attendance: 8,037  Report

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