Lincoln City are in search of their first win in four games, as they travel to Staffordshire on Tuesday, 29th March, to face a Port Vale side who themselves haven’t won in five.
The last time the two sides met was back in January, when an 87th minute Ashley Grimes goal stole all three points for the Imps in the third game of their five-match winning run.
After last Friday’s crushing 6-0 home defeat at the hands of a resurgent Rotherham, Lincoln boss Steve Tilson finds himself in somewhat of a predicament over his team selection, having made no less than seven changes for that match – a decision which ultimately cost the Imps dearly.
One player Tilson will have to replace for definite, though, is Congolese defender Patrick Kanyuka, who was sent off against Rotherham, with Danny Hone his likely understudy for the Port Vale fixture.
The inclusion of Ashley Grimes – the scorer of 15 of Lincoln’s 42 league goals this season – once again edges on doubtful, after the striker missed the Imps’ last match with an ankle injury. Luke Howell definitely misses out, whilst Stephen Hunt joins Grimes on the list of doubts ahead of the game.
With Micky Adams in charge, Port Vale were considered one of the front-runners for the League Two title at the start of this season. However, fast-forward seven months and things at Vale Park are a lot different, with the club now occupying 9th place and under new management.
Following Adams’ departure to Sheffield United, the club appointed Jim Gannon as boss at the start of the year, but the 42-year-old’s reign lasted just 74 days, and he parted company with Vale earlier this month, leaving Mark Grew in temporary charge of the club.
Grew is set to name an unchanged side after Vale drew 0-0 with Bury at the weekend.
Kick-off at Vale Park is at 7.45pm.