By Nathan Jackson
January 27 2006

Lincoln City face a difficult game against in-form Bristol Rovers and the defence will have to improve on a poor record, especially against skilled strikers. In the previous 21 games, City have kept just 3 clean sheets, the main reason why we haven't climbed the table despite losing just 1 in 11.

Despite only losing 1 in 11 games, the Imps are failing to move up the table and now face an inform team managed by someone who appears to be lying. Paul Trollope, Bristol Rovers' manager claims he's seen us several times in recent weeks and says all we've been doing it hoofing the ball and either he didn't go to the games, or he simply wasn't paying attention because City have played a lot of decent football in recent weeks and it's been a refreshing change.

The only question now is not how many we score, but whether the defence can do their job for once, having kept just 3 clean sheets in the 21 games since we beat Stockport at the end of September.

City are definatly without Simon Yeo (suspension), Paul Morgan and Paul Mayo (both injuries). Dean Keates has also confirmed that he will not be at the game to spend time with his heavily pregnant wife. There should be no real surprises and other than Yeo's replacement, it should be the side that started the game against Peterborough.

Who I think will start (Right to left)

Marriott

Cyran         McAuley      McCombe   Hughes

S/Robinson      Brown        Kerr

Green    M/Robinson    Ryan

 

Bristol Rovers have had a mixed start to the season. Their first game saw them travel to promoted Barnet and it finished 1-1, despite Bristol Rovers apparantly dominating the game. Two games against two of Lincoln's local rivals quickly followed. 4 days after the Barnet game was the first of 2 home games, Rovers crashed 2-1 at home to Grimsby Town and just a few days later, lost 3-2 to Peterborough.

3 away games since have produced a respectable 6 points. They travelled to Torquay a week after losing to Peterborough and were 2-0 down with around 15 minutes to go but Junior Agogo inspired them and they came away with an impressive 3-2 victory. A League cup exit at Millwall was followed by a 2-0 defeat against another one of City's local rivals, Notts County. Rovers then had an impressive 3-2 victory of Leyton Orient before the 0-0 draw at home to the Imps.

A fews day later came another home draw, this time 1-1 against Oxford before losing 4-0 at Chester City. A 1-0 win over Darlington was followed by a defeat of the same scoreline at Bury. A 3-1 win at Carlisle saw a few Rovers fans proclaim it as their turning but, but that failed to be the case at they fought out a dull 0-0 draw with Northampton before a 3-1 reverse at Boston. Peterborough eliminated the gas from the LDV with a 2-1 scoreline, the same scoreline that appeared in the next 4 games. A 2-1 home win over Wrexham was followed by a 2-1 reverse at Macclesfield but then a 2-1 win in the FA Cup against Grimsby and then, a 2-1 defeat at home to Rochdale.

Northampton inflicted their second 4-0 defeat of the season before they beat Barnet 2-1. The FA Cup trip to Port Vale ended in a 1-1 draw before two 1-0 away wins in 4 days, away at Stockport and Grimsby. Port Vale progressed in the cup with a 1-0 victory at the Memorial Ground before Torquay gained revenge for earlier in the season when they won 1-0 in Bristol.

However, then their season did turn around with a 2-1 win over Shrewsbury and then a delightful 3-3 draw with Mansfield and a 2-1 defeat at Wycombe, signals their last result without claiming all 3 points. Since then, they have won 3-2 at both Rushden and Cheltenham and last Saturday, make it a hatrick of wins with a 2-1 victory over Chester.