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Lincoln
City v Bristol Rovers Preview
27th January 2006
Lincoln City entertain Bristol Rovers at Sincil Bank on
Saturday in a League Two fixture, kick-off 3pm.
Imps' boss Keith Alexander has described victory in this
match as "vital", if his side are to mount a
serious bid for a play-off place. Likewise, Bristol
Rovers have also highlighted this game as vital, if they
are to maintain their play-off challenge.
Rovers have watched Lincoln several times this season,
and their manager Paul Trollope has briefed his players
to expect "a bombardment", as City play
"direct, route one football"!
Trollope told the official Bristol Rovers website:
"The reports we've had on them suggest they will be
the same as ever."
"So that means they will be very direct, with plenty
of long throws and free-kicks, and it will be difficult
for us."
One - perhaps even hypocritical - statistic about Bristol
Rovers is that they have conceded more free-kicks than
their opposition in every match since mid-November bar
one game. This should prove very worrying for Trollope,
as he has highlighted Lincoln's danger from set-pieces.
The good news for Lincoln is that influential midfielder
Dean Keates is available for selection again, after
serving a one-match suspension. Keates' set-piece
deliveries have provided a good source of goals for
Lincoln this season, so plenty of fouls conceded by
Bristol Rovers' players could help ease The Imps to a
victory.
As The
Forgotten Imp
reported on Monday, several of Lincoln's players remain on
the injured list. These are Paul Mayo (quad), Paul Morgan
(fractured foot) and Danny Bacon (broken leg), although
Lee Beevers is in contention for his first game since
December.
Rovers have their own lengthy injury list, with central
defender Craig Hinton the latest player to join the list.
Hinton has an elbow injury that rates him doubtful for
this match, alongside Jamie Forrester and Ali Gibb.
Stuart Campbell and ex-Imp Junior Agogo are also in line
for a return to first team action if they pass their
fitness tests.
The return of Agogo could prove a problem for Lincoln, as
he and his fellow striker Richard Walker have scored 25
goals between them. Currently, Walker has not scored for
three games and he is eager to start scoring again,
especially as he has a £100 bet with Agogo as to which
player will score the most goals this season.
These two clubs first met on the 19th September 1953 when
Lincoln won 1-0 at Bristol Rovers. For a full round-up
all the past meetings between these two clubs, please
click here.
Click here for more Lincoln City news
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