Lincoln City will be looking to make it three league wins in a row when they play host to high-flying Port Vale in League Two on Saturday, 29th January.
The Imps haven’t achieved such a feat for over a year, when consecutive wins against Chesterfield, Barnet and Bradford last January eased pressure on former boss Chris Sutton, who hadn’t won in eight league matches before that.
If other results go their way this weekend, three points against Vale could see Steve Tilson’s side climb up to 19th in League Two, giving the Imps some welcome breathing space as they prepare for a busy February, in which they will play seven fixtures.
Fifth-placed Port Vale – who at the start of the season looked shoo-ins for automatic promotion – have dropped off the pace somewhat of late, with Jim Gannon’s side picking up just four points from their last seven games.
However, the Imps have only managed to beat Vale once in their last four meetings – Dany N’Guessan scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory at Vale Park in the 2008/09 season.
Ahead of Saturday’s game, Lincoln today confirmed the permanent signing of Luke Howell – who had been on loan at the club – after the midfielder had his MK Dons contract terminated by mutual consent. Howell, who has made 10 appearances for the Imps in all competitions since his arrival in October, signed a deal that will keep him at Sincil Bank until the end of the season.
Southend striker Scott Spencer has also joined City after being let go by Lincoln’s League Two rivals Southend. The former Everton man announced the deal on Twitter earlier this afternoon and his tweet was closely followed by an official announcement from the club.
Meanwhile another loanee, Gavin Hoyte, is also close to agreeing an extension to his current contract with the club, with the hope that the Arsenal defender will, like Howell, stay for the remainder of the season.
Hoyte, who has missed the Imps’ last three fixtures with a hamstring injury, is once again a doubt for Saturday’s game with Port Vale, along with Clark Keltie (thigh), who himself hasn’t played since early November.
Mustapha Carayol will have a fitness test ahead of the game, after picking up a knock last weekend at Stockport which caused him to miss the Imps’ midweek win over Cheltenham.
Defender Patrick Kanyuka, who signed from Romanian side CFR Cluj this week, needs international clearance before he can make his Imps debut.
Kick off at Sincil Bank is at 3.00pm.