By Nathan Jackson
March 7 2007

The last thing you need when you're playing badly is to visit the league leaders, guess where we go on Friday night? That's right, City travel to the League Leaders, who have form that is on a par with one of Europe's biggest teams, and City can't beat Accrington Stanley....great!!!

Every season there’s always one game that inevitably decides whether you go up or not, in recent years City have had many games like that and they don’t have a fantastic record. 2 years ago, City were away at Leyton Orient on a cold Tuesday night, having kicked out late because of floodlight failure, we knew that if City held on to a 3^rd minute lead, then we would have moved 3^rd in the table due to other results, and more than likely gone on to win automatic promotion. Instead, Jon Mackie’s header meant City slipped to 6^th and inevitably lost in the playoff final to Southend.

 

We have now reached the same point in this season, and anything other than a win would seriously damage City’s bid for automatic promotion, and we just happen to be travelling to the best side in the division at this moment in time. You can look at Stockport’s current run and think that’s impressive, but that’s nothing compared to the run that Hartlepool are on, but City seem to be the ultimate masters of ending Hartlepool’s unbeaten runs.

 

Back in 2002/3, Hartlepool came to City on a Tuesday night, the Pool were top by a mile and hadn’t lost since becoming the first ever away side to play a competitive match at Hull’s KC Stadium. Despite being second best for most of the night, Lincoln managed to record a 3-0 victory over Hartlepool thanks to goals from Pearce, Gain and Bloomer.

 

Then of course, earlier this season Hartlepool came into a Friday night game at Sincil Bank on the back of a hugely impressive run over scoring 12 goals in 3 victories, including a highly amusing 5 at London Road. Despite the fact they should have easily taken the lead a few times, there was only one team in it after Forrester gave City a lead, Jeff Hughes completing the scoring in the second half.

 

City will need to produce similar results after several weeks of playing like 11 chickens with their heads cut off. To say watching City recently has been frustrating would be an understatement. It’s annoying how a side can go from dominating a game at the League leaders, to then just taking a point from 3 of the most mediocre sides this division has to offer. You can blame the injuries for last week’s shocker against Mansfield, but even an under-strength Lincoln side should be able to beat a side that has been on the brink of a relegation battle.

 

It seemed strange that N’Guessan was able to just walk into the side last Saturday, and it seemed no coincedence that City rapidly improved once Weir-Daley made his appearance from the bench, and City fans are demanding that the impressive youngster starts the game. If he does start, he will more than likely partner Jamie Forrester up front.

 

As for the rest of the team, Nat Brown returns from suspension and will more than likely start, Lee Beevers is suspended however. Hopefully Paul Morgan will return from illness, but the left back position will be one of much debate. The obvious choice would either be Hughes or Mayo. Many fans have called for Hughes to be dropped, but Mayo is seemingly the ultimate scape-goat to Lincoln fans, who no matter how shite the team is playing, virtually always blame the Lincoln born lad for everything.

 

In terms of the midfield, if Hughes is dropped or played at left back, it leaves the left-midfield position wide open for Owain Warlow to slot in for his first start in a City shirt. Frecklington and Kerr will almost certainly start. Just like Jeff Hughes, many fans have wanted Ryan Amoo to be dropped, this could lead to a great opportunity for Dany N’Guessan to make use of his natural right-midfield position.

 

Then again, the fans are always the last to find out if a player’s injured, so that above information is highly subject to change.

 

As for Hartlepool, both of those runs mentioned earlier seem insignificant to their current run, 19 League games unbeaten, 17 of those being victories, it’s amazing what a 1-0 home defeat to Barnet could do for a team’s season. The only club in the world with similar form in the League is Inter Milan, and that goes to show how well Hartlepool are doing at the minute. It’s a huge change from a few people’s expectations.

 

I had said that they would get automatic promotion after becoming League 1’s nearly men (after spending several previous years as Divison 3’s nearly men), but many people didn’t feel the same, sighting the departure of Adam Boyd as the main reason they thought Hartlepool would struggle, and for a while it appeared thy were correct.

 

Man for man Hartlepool have probably the best squad in the division. In Konstantopolous they have arguably the best goalkeeper in the lower leagues, he has the ever impressive Michael Nelson in front of him, with Micky Barron to his right. In midfield is Ritchie Humphries, it was a major surprise that Hartlepool loaned him out earlier this season, but his impact has been felt since his return, especially his fantastic free kick against Boston.

 

Eifion Williams, apparently an Imps’ target during the transfer window, is also a player who is highly capable of getting a goal, opening the scoring in the Imps’ last visit to Victoria Park. James Brown is another good youngster, whereas Ritchie Barker is probably the biggest threat to City’s net, although he has hardly been in world-class form since joining Hartlepool.

 

City will have to be at their very best to beat Hartlepool, but the Pool might have their eyes towards next week’s game against Stockport. If they avoid defeat in their next two games, Hartlepool will equal a club record for games without a defeat. If City win, it would be just a 4^th win this calendar year, good enough for automatic promotion? I doubt it.