Tranmere Rovers
Match Preview: Lincoln City v Tranmere Rovers
By Louise Formston
November 12 2015
As Tranmere prepare for their first game in two weeks away at Lincoln City on Saturday afternoon, Louise Formston returns with her match preview ahead of the game.....
This Saturday sees Tranmere Rovers take on Lincoln City for the third time this season, as they make the journey east to Sincil Bank for the second time in the space of a month. Rovers have been out of action since Halloween and will be keen to prove they have got their season back on track.
Previous Meetings:
With two meetings this season alone, there’s a bit of history between the two sides. The only FA Cup meetings between Rovers and the Imps both came this season. A 0-0 draw at Prenton Park at the back end of last month meant a replay on a Tuesday night at Sincil Bank, with Lincoln running out 2-0 winners. As a result, Lincoln played Whitehawk last weekend and were promptly knocked out of the FA Cup by the National League South side.
Prior to that, the teams met in the Football League Trophy in 2005 with Rovers’ winning 2-1 thanks to goals from Steve Jennings and Mark Rankine. The teams met consistently in Division 4 throughout the 70s and 80s and again on and off in Division 3 between the 1920s and 1950s. Overall, Lincoln just edge it with 26 wins compared to Rovers’ 25.
Form Guide:
October was patchy for Rovers. It started off with a fantastic 4-0 win at home to Bromley, before a draw with Wrexham and two home losses occurred (Eastleigh and Barrow). A win away at fellow promotion rivals Forest Green meant Rovers’ fans began to hope again. However a draw and then a loss to another National League side in the FA Cup followed up with a 1-0 home loss to Dover in the league meant October is probably a month to forget. By the time Saturday rolls around, Rovers will have failed to score in four weeks – an alarming statistic for a team hoping to be back in the Football League come May.
Similarly, Lincoln City have found themselves with a mixed bag of results from October. The Imps started with two wins on the road before losing 2-1 to Welling. Another win at home before the Imps visited to Prenton Park and left with a draw. The return game saw them win 2-0 before they suffered what I have to admit is a pretty humiliating defeat to Whitehawk. The final score in that game last weekend was Whitehawk 5 Lincoln 3 – thanks to a Matt Rhead hat-trick. As well as playing last Saturday whilst Rovers enjoyed a break, Lincoln also played Wednesday night and won 2-1 away against Aldershot with Lincoln going ahead twice in the game.
Injuries and Suspensions:
Lois Maynard and Luke Pilling will both be missing for Saturday’s game as they have received international call-ups for St Kitts and Nevis and Wales respectively.
Jay Harris will return from his suspension for accruing five yellow cards whilst Scott Davis will also return after he missed the Dover game following his red card away at Lincoln – just as well with Pilling away! Andy Mangan played 45 minutes against Dover and with the two week gap should be ready and raring to go. The gap should also have allowed Adam Mekki to rest up and Dawson is estimated at being another 3-4 weeks away.
Goalkeeper Paul Farman missed out on Lincoln’s Wednesday game through injury but as of writing, no news on whether the preferred choice keeper will be back for Saturday. Alan Power was suspended for the game as well after being sent off for two yellows last weekend so he will be back on Saturday.
The Opposition Dugout:
Chris Moyses has been in charged of Lincoln City since 2014, where he started as caretaker manager after stepping up from a role with the youth team. The 50-year old is a former Lincoln City player, having played for the club in the early 80s before he moved to Halifax Town. After a season with Halifax, Moyses moved into non-league football playing for Boston United (the once), Shepshed Charterhouse and Grantham.
In 2009, Moyses took on his first managerial role as he was named first team coach of Lincoln Moorlands, but moved to Lincoln City in 2011 to take charge of their youth set up. Following the sacking of Gary Simpson in November 2014, Moyses stepped up as caretaker manager. A month later he was named as the full-time manager and is still in that role today – having won nineteen out of his fifty-one games in charge.
Ones To Watch:
Matt Rhead (31) - Striker:
Lincoln’s top scorer is Matt Rhead who has racked up fourteen goals already this season – including a hat-trick last weekend against Whitehawk. Rhead joined Lincoln in the summer on a free transfer from Mansfield, where he’d spent the previous three years where he scored just sixteen goals in his entire spell with the Stags. With that in mind, its been an inspired signing by Chris Moyses to get Rhead playing in a way that means he’s almost equalised his goals for a previous club in three months.
Also signed from Mansfield this summer is striker Liam Hearn who has netted seven goals already this season, including one against Rovers in the FA Cup replay last month. Lee Beevers has played in every match so far this season and the defender was at Lincoln the last time they came to Prenton Park in 2005.
With regards to former players, current manager of Wycombe Wanders Gareth Ainsworth holds the record for the most expensive player sold by Lincoln City. The Imps sold Ainsworth for £500,000 in 1997 to Port Vale.
Around the League:
Southport vs Cheltenham: Thanks to the midweek batch of fixtures, Cheltenham will start the weekend top of the League whilst Southport are still looking to jump out of the relegation zone.
Wrexham vs Gateshead: These two teams sit just above Rovers in the League and will go head to head this weekend. A points reduction for both sides is the best outcome we can have but I’ll settle for a draw here I think.
My Starting XI:
It’s been two weeks and I’ve honestly forgotten who we have in our side anymore. Is this what the National League does to you?!
In goal, Scott Davies – handballs aside he’s a really decent keeper and deserves his place back. Across the back Ritchie Sutton, Liam Hogan, Martin Riley and Matt Hill. I think Hill has taken a dip in form lately but he’s a good defender and a wise head on the pitch. Quite happy to see Steve McNulty dropped, definitely not my favourite signing this year.
In the middle, Adam Mekki, Steve Jennings, Jay Harris and Liam Ridehalgh – these are mostly forced. Would love to have a Harris/Maynard midfield but international duty calls for Maynard so in comes Jenno. With no Adam Dawson still and me not being a fan of Jackson, Ridehalgh and Mekki on the wings but they need to improve dramatically on their last performance. No Ben Tomlinson – he didn’t really impress me against Dover. A friend I was at the game with commented how he showed up everywhere across the pitch and when lost the ball tried to get it back but I feel he lost the ball too easily, and didn’t do enough with it when he had it.
Up front Andy Mangan and Gary Taylor-Fletcher – Andy Mangan managed 45 minutes two weeks ago so should manage at least 75 this week and Taylor-Fletcher has skill and a vision that should never be benched! I’ll admit he was starting to form a partnership with Norwood, but Norwood has been out of form of late and started to look frustrated – giving GTF a chance with Mangan might be enough to get us scoring again.
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12/11/2015 23:25
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In my opinion our best team available on Saturday is:
Davies
Sutton
Hogan
McNulty
Hill
Mekki (if fit) otherwise I'd say Jackson
Jennings
Harris
Ridehalgh
Mangan
Norwood
Be interesting to see what other alternative views people come up with but that's mine!
I expect a win at Lincoln, enough said.
Today's result will matter to me just as much as it did this time yesterday
Quote:DevonExile
Football does matter exacatly because it is part of normal life.The greatest threat of extremism is that it tempts people to behave differently from normal.
Today's result will matter to me just as much as it did this time yesterday
its not extremism, its inhumane savagery from a barbaric species that have no values for human life whatsoever.
