The Imps are back in Checkatrade Trophy action tonight and there is a huge opportunity to go through into the next stage of the competition. Tonight’s opponents, Notts County, are too of course hoping to progress this evening, here we take a look at what they've been up to ahead of kick off.
There are many permutations which would mean progression into the next phase of the competition for the Imps, however, victory or a draw would be enough to see City go through and top the group, but Danny Cowley and his Imps’ players aren't looking to rest on their laurels and are looking to finish the group stage with a win against County at Sincil Bank.
While the task ahead of our visitors this evening isn't that simple, they can only progress with three points, which would unseat Mansfield from second place in the Group G table to keep the Magpie's dreams of a Wembley visit in the Checkatrade Trophy alive.
On the Pitch…
Our opponents this evening are without the services of Adam Collin and Michael O’Connor, but their manager Kevin Nolan has hinted that there maybe changes to his side tonight. As he told the club’s official website, ‘It’s a great opportunity for the lads who haven’t had the minutes.’
Nolan has recently been extolling the virtues of young defender, Pierce Bird, who has made an impact after quitting his job in the summer to take up the opportunity of a trial with the Magpies and it appears he could feature at Sincil Bank this evening. “He’s been magnificent since he came in. He’s been brilliant since we spotted him at the end of last season.” Nolan told the Nottingham Post.
“I’m positive he’ll perform well. It’s about him enjoying the experience. I’m sure we’ll see a lot more of him in the future but I feel this was the right time to bring him in after the progress he’s made.”
Nolan on his side's visit to Sincil Bank…
"It's a big game," he said. "We've got lads who need gametime, it's a derby and if we win we go through. We're trying to build momentum. It always helps when you're winning games - it breeds confidence around the club and city.
"In the last couple of games we've been back to the intensity and tempo that earned us our six wins on the spin.
"After our fantastic win on Friday we want to carry that forward, and then take it on to Stevenage."
Remember you can pay on the gate this evening, excluding the upper area of the CO-OP Stand, which you can still buy tickets for from the Sincil Bank Ticket Office.
