During a week in which Lincoln City have been very active in the transfers and contracts department, LincSport reporter Nick Lough spoke to manager Chris Moyses at the club’s pre-match press conference at Sincil Bank, ahead of Saturday’s trip to Macclesfield.
Talking about Saturday’s opponents, Moyses believes the familiarity between the two clubs could be the spark needed for a great Conference tie, and also discussed the availability of his squad.
Moyses: “John Askey has done very well there. We’ve got a few of their ex-players and they have a few of ours, so that’ll add a bit of spice and it’ll be a good game to be at I believe.
I think when players go back to old clubs, they always like to put one over on them, so it really shouldn’t take much motivation should it?
Tony came off last week in a friendly with Boston so he may be out, but Todd Jordan is back and he’ll be staying here especially as Thierry Audel has returned to Crewe”.
The Imps have tied down Captain Alan Power to a new contract, while signed offensive duo Tyrell Waite and Delano Sam-Yorke to permanent deals, as well as extending the youth loan of Birmingham City midfielder Charlee Adams until the end of the season, and Moyses is delighted with the early transfer business.
Moyses: “We’ve always talked about strong foundations and that’s what we are trying to build still.
Part of the plan is to get one or two more signed up in the next couple of weeks if we can, that’s the work in progress, but we won’t put any pressure to be at the club. If they don’t want to be here then there is no point in them hanging about.
It’s a reward for Alan who has been great since we’ve taken over. He’s a very honest lad, loves the club, loves the city, and they are the sort of people we want to be involved with us at the football club.
Alan’s the club captain, and to get him bound for the next two years is crucial. He’s a powerful character, and one I was very keen to get signed up.
Charlee plays well above his years, he’s got an old head on a young body, and what he’s learning is to come to Lincoln, and Gary Rowett has spoken about this, is to give him freedom, letting the players do what they want to do, as long as it works in the system that we’re playing.”
Moyses says he still has strong beliefs his squad can finish on a high, his transfer business isn’t yet complete.
Moyses: “We knew we had a good nucleus and it might take a little bit of tweaking now and then, but we’ve got what we want at the moment and we’re quite happy with where we are.
We’ve got cover everywhere really, and I said a while ago that I don’t want to upset the apple cart by bringing in people that I don’t need. I don’t really want players sat in the stands; I don’t really want players out on loan that I can’t get to, so it’s just about keeping everything with in touching distance.
We’ve got a couple of Trialist in that we’ve been asked to have a look at, Steve Hodge’s son Elliot Hodge and another lad from America who has come recommended, so we’re having a look, and seeing what we can do.”
Finally, looking at the improvement of the club’s home form, Chris Moyses assessed the upturn in displays at Sincil Bank, and also gave us an insight on how his team have turned things around, and their targets for the rest of the season.
Moyses: “Sometimes players get nervous playing in front of their own fans, as it comes with a little bit of extra pressure.
One of the reasons we took the players out in to the community was to get them to realise the people they were playing for. We have no built up a bit of a fortress at Sincil Bank and that’s great, and great for the lad’s as well.
There’s nothing top secret about what we do. We try and keep people happy, we try and get the ball forward quickly, we try and let players express themselves, we don’t go out and tell players what they must do and where the ball must go, it’s freedom.
They’re good players; they wouldn’t be here if they weren’t.
Targets are always changing. As you go from game to game you set yourself another little bridge to get over, and we are doing that one game at a time.
I’m not surprised where they are, I admit Gary Simpson brought a bulk of the players to the club, the fact that he couldn’t get them playing is perhaps a little bit different.”
By Nick Lough