Last Week we should have been at home in a televised Thursday evening game against Cambridge Utd but that was called off early doors and then quickly re-arranged for Saturday, the day it was originally to have been played. That too became a victim of the heavens and has now been pencilled in for April and hopefully drier weather. Meanwhile we have drifted down the table into ninth place after other teams that managed to get their games on have leapfrogged us or pulled away.
With plenty of catch-up to do we couldn't have picked a more difficult game to do so. Even though we beat Lincoln back at Aggborough in October that was under Steve Burr and also while we were in a rich vein of form on a six game unbeaten run. Sadly we are well out of form now but new manager Andy Thorn has said that:
"There's nothing you can do about other teams and, to be fair, I haven't paid too much attention to the other results. I have focused more on our results and it is an important period for us where we've been getting over to the players what we want, what's required to win matches and how we want to do it. It's about what we do and as long as we keep picking points up, we'll be fine."
"I know where I want us to be. We're going to keep on the front foot and keep on moving - we have competition for places and everyone knows they need to be doing the rights things."
So we have a fired up squad and in addition to that we could also have Ryan Rowe aiming to get back into the reckoning according to yesterdays Kidderminster Shuttle. Ryan fell out of favour, at the start of the season, under Burr and was sent out on a six month loan back to whence he came from, Stourbridge. The Shuttle also says that he has been training hard and looking sharp so could find himself back in the fold and partnering Michael Gash up front at Sincil Bank. We have to hope someone does partner Gash, either Rowe or Malbon, because to be honest he must be getting mighty frustrated finding himself isolated thirty yards from another player.
Lincoln have been having yet another poor season having again being one of the favourites for promotion at the start of every season since they got relegated back here in April 2011. At this time they find themselves in sixteenth place in the table and having won only three league games since the New Year (then again we have only won one?) A late, late win at Hyde last Saturday moved them up a place or two but the previous week to that they lost at home to Nuneaton.
They had goalkeeper problems up until yesterday when they bought in Birmingham City youngster Nick Townsend to stand in for the injured Paul Farman. He got injured during the Hyde game and couldn't continue until the end of the game so was replaced by midfielder Dan Gray due the there being no back up keeper on the bench.
Another player we won't be seeing is Nick Wright because he's been out injured since early January but now seems to be out of favour too in a way that seems to reflect his time with us and also in the way that some players in our squad are seeing for themselves too.
As I sit here, and my writing is coming to an end, the rain outside is 'biblical' and to be honest I cannot see this game getting the go ahead. If it does I only hope that it will have been worth the wait for some long overdue three points.
Teams:
Harriers from:
Lewis, N Vaughan, L Vaughan, Dunkley, Williams, Demetriou, Gowling, Storer, O'Keefe, Jackman, Byrne, Johnson, Riis, Malbon, Morgan-Smith, Blissett, Cieslewicz, R Rowe, Aloi, Ladapo, Gittings, Gash.
Lincoln City from:
Preece, Townsend, Miller, Newton, Jordan, Fofana, Power, D Rowe, Wright, Tomlinson, Sheridan, Yussuf, Gray, Robinson, Dixon, Nolan, Jackson, Brown, Sam-Yorke, Foster, Thomas.
Talk about the game here
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