Lincoln City return to the LNER Stadium for the first time in 2024, as they welcome Derby County in SkyBet League One action on Saturday, January 19.
An added time strike from midfielder Ethan Erhahon rescued a 1-1 draw away at Wycombe Wanderers last Saturday, ending a four-game losing run. The Imps are winless in their last eight games, with their last win being a 3-0 away victory against Cambridge United in November.
Over 9,200 tickets have been sold for the game, with another bumper crowd expected at the LNER Stadium.
Opposition: Derby County
The Rams currently sit in third place, only behind the automatic promotion places on goals scored. An excellent run in form over the Christmas period has seen manager Paal Warne pick up the ‘Manager of the Month’ award for December.
County have lost once in their last 12 league matches, falling to a last gasp Peterborough United winner on New Year’s Day. Most recently, they squeezed past Burton Albion at home, thanks to a stoppage time Conor Hourihane strike to win 3-2.
The Rams have their sights firmly set on the automatic promotion places and are expected to be there, come the end of the season.
Team News:
New January signings Jack Moylan and Joe Taylor made their debut against Wycombe, and are expected to appear in front of the city fans for the first time on Saturday.
Reeco Hackett also made his return to the side following his injury but might still have his minutes managed by Michael Skubala.
City remain without striker Ben House, as he makes progress from his injury sustained in the early parts of the season. Tyler Walker is out for the rest of the season, with a hamstring issue.
Derby head coach Paul Warne reported a clean bill of health in his post-match interview for those who played on Monday, so a similar side to the one that faced Burton Albion on Monday, is expected.
County are still without the services of striker Martyn Waghorn, after he suffered a setback in his rehab from a calf injury. Fellow forward Conor Washington is facing a month out, after suffering a ligament issue on international duty for Northern Ireland.
Defender Craig Forsyth remains on the sideline too after he picked up an injury in their win over Fleetwood Town a couple of weeks ago. Another defender, Jake Rooney, remains injured and is not expected to play again for the Rams this season.
Striker James Collins is the Rams top goal scorer with 12 for the campaign, including five in his last six games.
Head-to-Head:
The Imps have only won once against Derby in the previous five attempts, a 2-0 victory at the LNER Stadium in what was the first league meeting between the two sides since 1986. The game also marked the visitors 5,000th game in the football league.
However, City have failed to score only once against Derby in the last five games too. Goals are expected as City have scored in three quarters of their games at home this season, whereas Derby have scored in in every game bar one away from home this season.
In the reverse fixture only a month ago, County swept the Imps aside in a 3-1 victory. Danny Mandroiu scored from the penalty spot, but that was not enough to take anything away from Pride Park.
Played for both:
Derby goalkeeper Josh Vickers featured 78 times for Lincoln City in a three-year spell between 2017 and 2020, winning the Checkatrade trophy in that time. He completed a move from Rotherham United to join the Rams in the summer.
Wing-back Joe Ward made eight appearances for the Imps in a short loan spell from Brighton in 2017, scoring three times in a two-month period.
Jason Shackell also featured in both camps as he made over 100 appearances for the Rams, over two stints.
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