Following successive 3-0 away defeats, Lincoln City manager Gary Simpson met the press in determined fashion ahead of this weekend’s game against relegation rivals Tamworth, billed as “the biggest game in the club’s history”.
Lincoln are placed just one point above the relegation zone with two games remaining, however tomorrow’s opponents Tamworth find themselves in a similar plight, hovering just one point above Lincoln.
Simpson said: “It’s a good life, playing football for a living. If this club was to go out the league, all the contracts are up, and it’s a precarious position for them. If it was me in that position as a player, I’d be doing everything I possibly could to make sure that I had a chance of still being here and doing it for a living.
“There’s a lot of people, and I’ve done it myself, who work long hours for not a lot of money. This is a good life, they should cherish it, and give it their all to try and stay in it. The penny has dropped I think. They know that this is it, that they’ve got to do something. Hopefully they’ll take that on with a positive attitude and we’ll get the result that we need.”
With Andrew Boyce suspended for the remainder of the season following his 10th yellow card of the campaign, Tony Diagne out with a foot injury and Adam Smith struggling with a hamstring strain, Simpson admits that he is light on numbers.
He explained: “I’ve got no choice but to make changes. It’s not an ideal situation; if Diagne and Boyce were available, they’d play. We left Jones out on Tuesday because we didn’t think we could get the ball out wide to him on that pitch, but he’s back into the reckoning now as we might need a wide man on Saturday.
“I’ve got Nicky Nicolau and Scott Garner who could come in, near enough everybody has been involved as we haven’t got a massive squad.
Simpson is aware of the threat that Tamworth pose: “We’ve got to try to be positive, and we need to look at the ways in which we can cause them a problem. But I am aware that they’ve got players which can cause us a problem, and we want to be in the game before we’re out the game.
“These will put us under pressure from set plays and long throws, as they’ve got some big lads, so it’s important that we stand up to the task.”
Lincoln City take on Tamworth at The 12th Imp Sincil Bank on Saturday, April 13th, 2013.