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Can Lincoln
Shock Carlisle?
28th March 2006
Lincoln City FC travel to Carlisle United FC on Tuesday
evening for a rearranged fixture.
This match was originally scheduled for March 4th but was
postponed due to a frozen pitch. Since then, Lincoln have
suffered mixed fortunes including the ending of their
unbeaten run of 2006.
A week last Saturday, Lincoln's run was ended by Boston
United. Coincidentally, Boston travelled to Carlisle last
Saturday, where they lost 4-2. Meanwhile, Lincoln were
returning to winning ways via an excellent 5-0 victory
over second placed Grimsby Town.
The results from last Saturday mean that Carlisle lead
the division by three points with a game in hand. Should
Carlisle defeat Lincoln then they will go six points
clear at the top. They would also go eight points clear
of fourth placed Leyton Orient. Unsurprisingly,
Carlisle's thoughts have already turned to promotion.
Carlisle winger Simon Hackney enthused: "We know we
haven't won anything yet but everyone is very positive.
"We've taken another step closer to promotion. We
just need to keep our heads screwed on now. It's exciting
times for me and the club."
Carlisle have every right to be confident especially as
they sport the strike force of Michael Bridges and Karl
Hawley, who have scored 36 league and cups between them
this season.
Bridges is a former Leeds United player, who joined Leeds
for £5million from Sunderland. Injury curtailed his
Premiership career and he found himself cast into the
lower leagues. Since signing for Carlisle - initially on
loan and later on a free transfer - he has scored eleven
goals in nineteen appearances. This run of good form has
now alerted his former Leeds United manager David
O'Leary, whose Aston Villa side have been linked with a
move for Bridges.
There remains a danger that Carlisle could become a
victim of their own success. On Sunday, they play Swansea
City in the LDV Final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.
Carlisle's players could have this at the back's of their
minds and hence, fail to perform to the best of their
abilities against Lincoln.
Lincoln are however, quite capable of winning this match
even without Carlisle's distraction of the LDV Final.
Grimsby Town's supporters will testify to this because
Lincoln tore their side apart during a first half that
ended with a 4-0 score line in favour of Lincoln.
That win moved Lincoln into seventh place in the League
Two table. Victory tonight would see The Imps go three
points clear of eighth placed Peterborough United in the
race for a play-off position.
Lincoln have various injury problems with several players
on the long-term injured list. Simon Yeo is definitely
absence because of a knee injury, while striker Danny
Bacon and Gareth McAuley are unlikely to return from
their lengthy injuries.
Paul Morgan and Jeff Hughes both played in a friendly
match at Mansfield last week. They are pressing for a
return to first team action and one or both could figure
on the substitutes' bench. Another candidate for a shock
place on the bench is youth teamer Phil Watt, who was
yesterday allocated a first team shirt ahead of this
match.
These two clubs first met in December 1928 when Lincoln
won 1-0 at Carlisle in a FA Cup encounter. For a full
historic results round-up of all the major fixtures
between these two clubs, please click here.
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