With the second month of the EFL League One season nearly over, we are starting to get a feel for how certain teams are coping. Whether they have been exceeding expectations or falling short of pre-season objectives.
Two sides that are fully experiencing the ups and downs of life in the third tier are Blackpool and Lincoln City, who meet on Friday night, with both teams looking for a win that will give their seasons a boost.
Story behind the game
Lincoln's new manager Michael Appleton will be looking for the best possible start to his tenure. He watched from the stands in horror last weekend, seeing his team lose 6-0 at home to Oxford United. The Imps had won their opening three league games in August, but have won just one in seven since. Meanwhile, Blackpool boss Simon Grayson will also be looking to get back to winning ways after a 1-1 draw with Accrington Stanley. The Tangerines are also in poor form, just like Lincoln, they have won one of their last seven games following a solid start.
These sides are in the same league as one another for the first time since the 2000/01 season, when they both competed in the fourth tier. Blackpool took four points from Lincoln during their two meetings, winning 2-0 at Bloomfield Road and drawing 1-1 at Sincil Bank. The seasiders ultimately finished the season in seventh, gaining promotion via the play-offs. Lincoln on the other hand finished 18th, staying in the same division for another ten years, before their relegation to non-league in 2011.
So Lincoln will be looking for a first win over their opponents this millennium, whilst Blackpool will be hoping to spoil former manager Appleton's big day.
Team news
Grayson will be hoping that he can call upon top scorer Armand Gnanduillet, who missed Blackpool's trip to Accrington last weekend, due to a muscle injury. A few other players are also being monitored before kick-off, and will be given last minute news as to whether they are playing.
New boss Appleton will also have to make some late decisions with his Lincoln team. Both Michael Bostwick and Jake Hesketh could be in line to play following recent injury troubles. However, Lee Frecklington, Tom Pett and Ben Coker remain out, still awaiting their first appearances of the season.
Predicted Line-up
Blackpool:
(3-5-2) Alnwick, Edwards, Heneghan, Tilt, Feeney, Virtue-Thick, Spearing, Thompson, Husband, Nuttall, Gnanduillet
Lincoln City:
(4-2-3-1) Vickers, Eardley, Bostwick, Shackell, Toffolo, Morrell, O'Connor, Anderson, Payne, Grant, Walker
Key Clashes
James Husband v Neal Eardley
A player that Blackpool fans know quite well is right-back Neal Eardley, who was part of their 2010-11 team that played in the Premier League. The 30-year-old is now in his third season with Lincoln, and is an integral part of their team. On Friday he will be tasked with stopping wing-back James Husband, who is on loan from Norwich City. The former Doncaster Rovers player impressed on loan at Blackpool's neighbours Fleetwood Town last season, so will be looking to impress again.
Armand Gnanduillet v Michael Bostwick
Two players that aren't certain to play, but will be highly influential if they do, are Gnanduillet and Bostwick. The Blackpool frontman will be looking to add to his tally of six goals so far this season, knowing he is the key to getting them back to winning ways. Whilst Bostwick will be hoping that his return from a two game absence will help to plug the gap in a leaky defence that conceded six last weekend.
What the managers have said
Blackpool manager Simon Grayson has expressed to the club's media that he is looking forward to the game, and the opportunities it brings. He said:
“We want to keep pushing forward. If we can win on Friday night, then that pushes us two or three places up the division, before all the other games.”
“It'd be nice to go into a weekend with three points, back to winning ways here at Bloomfield Road under the lights. It'll be another good atmosphere.”
Meanwhile, in his first pre-match press conference, Michael Appleton admitted to Radio Lincolnshire, that it will take him time to get to know the ins and outs of the club. He said:
“It's going to take me at least a week I think, to get to know everybody. Not only names, but the way people are, and the way they work.”
“We all act differently to situations. I think with players, it's one thing that you see them on a Saturday afternoon, but ultimately they're people as well.”
“You've got to have an understanding of their background, anything that's going on in their lives at that time. You then base your decisions on all the information that you gather.”