Opposition Camp: What to expect from Lincoln City - With Imps Focus

Unlike the Whites, life has been difficult so far for the fellow promoted side but the Imps did beat Blackpool in their midweek Carabao Cup fixture.

To get the lowdown on what to expect from Saturday's opponent, Lincoln City, we spoke to Imps Focus for all the details.

In terms of results, it has not been an easy start to life in the Championship for Lincoln, what do you think has been missing from performances so far?

"There hasn’t been too much missing in terms of performance from us so far. Against Middlesbrough, I actually thought our structure and game plan were superb for large periods of the game. The major difference was the quality of the players they had compared to us. Will Lankshear in particular was a real eye-opener in terms of the quality that Championship sides can possess, and it showed the fine margins we’re going to have to deal with at this level.

"The Portsmouth game was probably the one where we felt a little more hard done by with the result. At 3-1, the scoreline didn’t necessarily reflect how competitive the game was, and perhaps that was one where we missed someone like Jack Moylan, who has just joined Cardiff, to produce a moment of individual brilliance and get us something out of the game.  

"I think ultimately we’re still adapting to the Championship and learning what is required at this level. The performances have given me plenty of encouragement, even if the results haven’t quite followed yet."

Given the result over Blackpool in midweek, despite the red card for the opposition, do you think it will give the Imps some more confidence heading into Saturday?

"I thought Tuesday at Blackpool was superb. We showed a different side to ourselves where we were able to be dominant on the ball and impose ourselves on the game rather than just soaking up pressure and trying to hit teams on the counter.

"Obviously the red card had an impact on the game, but you still have to go and take advantage of that situation, and I thought we did that really well. Blackpool are a very good side, so it was probably the right game for us to build a bit of momentum and confidence.

"t was also really good to see some of the other players come into the team and perform. Elder, Konak and Honohan were all exceptional, and I’d certainly like to see them involved again on Saturday. Hopefully that result can be the starting point for us because, despite the difficult results, there has been enough in the performances to suggest we can compete in this league."

Last season, I think it’s fair to say that Jack Moylan was brilliant against Bolton at Sincil Bank. With him gone, who is the player you expect to cause Wanderers the most problems on Saturday?

"Jack Moylan is obviously a big miss for us in that creative midfield role. He had that ability to find pockets of space and produce something out of nothing, as we saw against Bolton last season.  

"However, Freddie Draper has looked like a completely different beast this season. His running, strength and ability to play with his back to goal and bring others into play have been nothing short of exceptional. He was a real handful for Middlesbrough to deal with, and his physicality gives us a completely different threat.  

"He’s the definition of a defender’s nightmare because he can run in behind, hold the ball up, compete physically and make things uncomfortable for centre-backs. I’d expect him to cause Bolton plenty of problems on Saturday, particularly if we can get runners around him and give him the service he needs."

Despite the start, is the expectation from Lincoln fans to do more than just stay up this season? Or would you take 21st like a lot of Bolton fans would have on day one?

"Even before losing Michael Skubala and Jack Moylan, I think the expectation from Lincoln fans was still simply to finish 21st and stay in the Championship. Anything beyond that would be a bonus.  

"The club has been really smart with how it has progressed over the last few years. There isn’t really an expectation that we suddenly become a top-half Championship side overnight. It’s about making those step-by-step improvements, establishing ourselves at this level and then seeing where that takes us.  

"If we can stay up this season, I think that gives us a really strong platform to start looking above our weight again. The priority has to be making sure we don’t get ahead of ourselves and constantly looking over our shoulder. If we can establish ourselves in the Championship, then hopefully we can start dreaming a little bigger."

Finally, what's your score prediction for Saturday?

"We never seem to get a result at Bolton away, so it’s definitely become a bit of a bogey ground for us. Even last season, when it looked like we might finally break the curse, we somehow conceded in the 97th minute!  

"So I’m going to be optimistic and go for a repeat of last season’s result — 1-1.  

"I think it’ll be a difficult game, particularly with Bolton being at home, but after the confidence we should have taken from Tuesday, I’m hopeful we can put in another strong performance and finally come away from there with something."