Lincoln City will be hoping to take one further in the Emirates FA Cup, as they travel to Crawley Town in a second round clash.
The Imps eased past National League South side Chesham United with a 4-0 victory in the first round of what is the 144th edition of the famous cup competition.
Opposition: Crawley Town
The Reds pulled off a shock the last time the two sides faced as the hosts came out 3-0 winners towards the end of October. However, Town have only recorded two wins in seven attempts since that encounter, one of which came after extra-time in the FA Cup first round.
Crawley had a scare in that game before a Toby Mullarkey’s equaliser in the fifth minute of injury time allowed Tola Showunmi to complete the turnaround against National League relegation-battlers Maidenhead United.
Very little has changed in the league for Crawley Town since the last time the two sides faced, as they now find themselves in 20th place in Sky Bet League One. Former Newcastle United goalkeeper and current Reds boss Rob Elliot responded to critics with a 1-0 victory last time out against a struggling Rotherham United.
Team News:
This week, Michael Skubala has also said “there are a couple of knocks” following Tuesdays’ loss to Wrexham AFC. He put this down to heavy fixture schedule that his side have had over recent weeks.
The Imps head coach said: “With games coming so thick and fast, that’s what’s going to happen and that’s why we need the squad.”
Despite that, Reeco Hackett nears a return as he began training with the squad again this week alongside Tyler Walker, who Skubala admitted is a little bit further off.
Head-to-Head:
This encounter will be just the sixth time that the two sides have met and the first time in the FA Cup, with the last two encounters both ending 3-0 at the Broadfields stadium.
The most recent of those was the previously mentioned October match-up where, despite having more of the ball and ten corners, the Imps were surprisingly defeated. Second-half goals from Will Swan, Ronan Darcy and former Aston Villa striker Rushian Hepburn-Murphy sealed that win.
The only time that Lincoln City have found victory against the Reds came in a League Two clash in March 2019 as Danny Cowley’s side came out comfortable victors. It was a first-half strike from Bruno Andrade that got things started on that day before Shay McCartan and Cian Bolger sealed victory in the final 15 minutes of the game.