Lincoln City are facing a tough trip to West Yorkshire this weekend, as they travel to fellow play-off contenders Huddersfield Town.
The Imps come into this one winless in six league games, however, will have gained some confidence from Tuesday’s progression in the Vertu Trophy.
Huddersfield on the other hand have bounced back well from a slight blip towards the end of September and are now unbeaten in nine league game.
Opposition: Huddersfield Town
Having been relegated from the Championship last season, the Terriers were able to keep hold most of their squad. However, did fail to prevent key midfielder Jack Rudoni from making a move to Coventry City.
That money was reinvested well bringing in former Imp Lasse Sorensen, who has contributed two assists in 11 matches so far this season.
That investment has allowed the club to propel themselves to fourth in the table, just five points off the top two and in a great position for an immediate return to the Championship.
Manager Michael Duff was a somewhat surprising appointment for the West Yorkshire outfit, with the manager being out of work since leaving Swansea City in 2023. Although, with 14 wins and two draws from his 24 games in charge to date the former centre-back has proved a worthy man for the job.
Team News:
John McKiernan is unlikely to feature in this one after he came off with a calf strain in Tuesday night’s victory. Michael Skubala said he is trying to “protect” the midfielder.
Adam Jackson will also miss out on this one following his facial injury, however Skubala is hopeful that he will be able to return to training in the near future.
Finally, Tom Hamer will remain out for a few months, with the Lincoln City boss confirming: “He’s progressing well, but is a lot further down the line, probably still a couple of months off. He’s doing really well; he’s been fantastic in the gym and his rehab is going as well as we can hope.”
Head-to-Head:
The two sides have only ever faced off against each other once in recent years, and that came in a 2019 EFL Cup tie where The Imps ran out 1-0 winners.
A second half strike from Harry Anderson was enough to see the Imps progress that day, and Skubala will surely be hoping that his side can replicate that this weekend.
Full-back Harry Toffolo featured for Lincoln that day, before he made the switch to Huddersfield Town in the following summer.
Overall, Town have beaten the Imps 16 times, with 10 draws and 13 Lincoln wins between the two sides. That dates back to 1910, while this will be the first league meeting of the since since 2004.
Played for Both:
The most notable name to have featured for both was the previously mentioned full-back Harry Toffolo.
He featured 72 times for the Imps before making the switch in the summer of 2020, he then went on to feature a further 92 times for the Terriers.
That included helping Huddersfield into the Championship play-off final before he then got a move to Premier League side Nottingham Forest.