Historic SkyBet League One champions Lincoln City finish off their sensational season away at Port Vale on Saturday, concluding one of the most remarkable seasons in English football history.
The Imps played out a jaw dropping 4-3 victory in their final outing at the LNER Stadium, a stunning finish from Jack Moylan, a double from Reeco Hackett, and a thunderous shot from captain Tendayi Darikwa was enough to edge the Imps over the line.
The side now go into this one with the hopes of going a record 29 games unbeaten across a SkyBet League One season, after lifting the trophy following that game against Wycombe Wanderers.
Opponents- Port Vale
Whilst the Imps celebrated their promotion, Port Vale stared down the barrel of relegation, with the newly promoted side failing to secure safety after losing out to Cardiff City.
The Valiants will not be a stone easily overturned however, as they found a 2-1 victory against play-off bound Stockport County last Tuesday, and will hope to cause another upset tomorrow afternoon.
“The lads want to go one more unbeaten and finish off on a high”, said City head-coach Michael Skubala: “We will see a competitive team out there for sure.”
A final win against Jon Brady’s side would take Lincoln’s point tally to 103. This would make them the third best League One team in EFL history. They have been only overshadowed by Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2013/14 and Birmingham City in 2025/26.
Team News:
Only two changes were made ahead of the home game against Wycombe, Ben House replaced Scotsman Ryan Oné, while Deji Elerewe started his first match in a Lincoln shirt.
However, with nothing but records and pride on the line, we may see an experimental line up fielded by Skubala to give some squad and bench players a chance to shine.
“There are a few things left to play for,” said Skubala when asked what’s on the line for his players this Saturday, “Everything we feel like we needed to do this season has been achieved.
“Anybody with slight injuries we won’t risk, we definitely don’t want to lose bodies at this point before pre-season.”
This news casts serious doubt on involvement from Tom Hamer, who was absent from last weeks match squad.
It also casts doubt on returns for Joshua Honohan, Adam Jackson or James Collins. All of whom have long term injuries.
Head-to-Head:
The last time these two teams met in the league was last November when, a goal from Hackett was enough to consolidate a 1-0 win at the LNER Stadium.
This will be the sixth time these two sides have met in League One, Lincoln boasting three wins, one draw, and one loss across those meetings.
The hosts last beat Lincoln in October 2022, a 1-0 win scored by current Vale talent Daniel Butterworth.
This may be the last meeting of these sides we see in a while, with one side getting promoted whilst the other relegated, making this match-up even more memorable.