Lincoln City travel to Lancashire on New Year’s Day as they face Blackpool at Bloomfield Road in SkyBet League One action.
The Imps are without a win in their last five league matches, only picking up two points from a possible 15. Lincoln City’s last win came on November 28, beating Cambridge United 3-0 at the Abbey Stadium.
Lincoln’s December was one to forget, with draws against Wigan and Reading, but losses to Derby, Bolton, and Northampton in the league, as well as a 1-0 defeat to Accrington Stanley in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy.
Blackpool lost 3-0 to Port Vale on Friday night, but currently sit four points above Lincoln, in eighth place in the league. The Imps sit 11th in League One, 11 points from a play-off spot and 12 points from the relegation spot.
Opposition: Blackpool
Blackpool were relegated from the Championship in April, following a dramatic 3-2 loss to Millwall. With 11 wins and 11 draws from 46 games, it was considered a disappointing season from the Lancashire outfit.
Neil Critchley’s men come into this game knowing they can close the gap to sixth place Oxford by seven points, dependant on if results can go their way.
The Tangerines are looking to bounce back from their disappointing end to 2023. A 1-0 loss to Burton on Boxing Day met by a 3-0 loss to Port Vale has put Blackpool 10 points adrift of the play-off spots.
Team News:
Imps manager Michael Skubala has said the medical team are assessing midfielder Ethan Erhahon, and are se to make a last minute decision as to whether the Irishman should travel with the squad or not.
Skubala said: “I thought that was actually a really bad tackle…It’s his ankle/foot. We’re not sure whether he just went over on it or if it is a strain so we just need to get it looked at.”
Paudie O’Connor will be unavailable for the match on Monday, following a straight red for a stray elbow against Northampton.
Ben House, Tyler Walker, Lewis Montsma and Reeco Hackett also all remain unavailable for this game with respective injury.
Blackpool have no injuries coming into this game, but defenders James Husband and Matthew Pennington are at risk of suspension, each with four yellow cards to their name.
Head-to-Head:
There have been 58 fixtures between these two sides in history, with the first dating back to 1896. Blackpool are on top in this fixture, winning 35 and drawing 10, with Lincoln winning 13.
The most recent game was at the start of the season. A 3-0 win for Lincoln in August at the LNER Stadium, with penalties for Mandroiu and Bishop, as well as a goal for midfielder Ethan Erhahon to secure the three points for the Imps.
Played for (or Managed) Both:
Defender Gordon Simmonite featured for both teams in his 136 club appearances. Simmonite had a 2 year spell at Blackpool, appearing 63 times and scoring once. He then made the move to Lincolnshire, appearing 85 times for the Imps.
Former Imps manager Michael Appleton went to the Tangerines at the end of 2022. Appleton replaced club-legend Danny Cowley as manager, and took Lincoln to the League One Play-Off Final, where they lost to Blackpool.
He left the next season, and took over current Blackpool manager Neil Critchley, who went to Aston Villa to be assistant manager with Steven Gerrard. Appleton was sacked in January 2023, with the club sitting in 23rd, and only achieving one win in 11 matches.