Lincoln City

Imps keen to sign striker Molango
Lincoln City manager Keith Alexander is confident of signing Brighton striker Maheta Molango. Molango, 25, has had a successful trial with the Imps and now Alexander wants him on a season long loan. Alexander told BBC Radio Lincolnshire: "He's been out of the picture at Brighton for whatever reason, so he's got a chance to resurrect his career. "I've tried to bring him in on a season long loan deal but I don't know whether that will go through in time."

Alexander is calm despite defeat
Boss Keith Alexander is refusing to panic after Lincoln's 2-1 defeat at Notts County left them with just two points from their first three games. "We're very disappointed that we haven't got a win on the table, as we think we've played reasonably well in all three games," he said. "You've got to hang in there, be brave and carry on doing your job. "We'll just keep doing what we're doing, as at the end of the day we're a decent team with decent players."

Lincoln City 5-1 Crewe
Championship side Crewe bowed out of the Carling Cup in embarrassing fashion at League Two Lincoln. Lee Beevers put the Imps ahead with a superb 25-yard strike and Maheta Molango made it 2-0 from 12 yards. Richard Walker headed Crewe back into it before half-time but Gary Birch tapped home a third for Lincoln before making it 4-1 from the edge of the box. Lincoln substitute Marvin Robinson wrapped up his side's win late on, slotting home from close range. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lincoln City: Marriott, Beevers, Bloomer, McCombe, Cryan, Brown (Folkes 87), Kerr, Keates, Molango (Marvin Robinson 80), Birch, Asamoah (Bacon 81). Subs Not Used: Green, Coleman. Goals: Beevers 6, Molango 35, Birch 64, 67, Marvin Robinson 83. Crewe: Williams (Tomlinson 45), Moss, Moses, Walker, Tonkin, Lunt, Billy Jones, Vaughan, Steve Jones, Ugarte (Johnson 59), Varney. Subs Not Used: Foster, Cochrane, Suhaj. Booked: Lunt. Goals: Walker 44. Att: 2,782 Ref: J P Robinson (E Yorkshire).

Wrexham postpone tie at Lincoln
A series of international call-ups mean Wrexham have postponed Friday's planned League Two game at Lincoln. Midfielder Levi Mackin has been called into the Wales Under-21 squad to face England at the Racecourse Friday, along with Liverpool trainee Ramon Calliste. They join Mark Jones, while Mike Ingham is with Northern Ireland and Dennis Lawrence with Trinidad and Tobago. Wrexham captain Darren Ferguson says Jones can be an inspiration to the Dragons' threadbare squad. Midfielder Jones, called into the senior Wales squad against Slovenia, scored in an impressive Wrexham display in the 3-1 win over Barnet. "With so many injuries and suspensions, the young lads have to stand up and be counted," Ferguson told Sir Stanley. "Mark is a good example to them. He's really showing his quality in the last third of the field and is learning all the time, he's got a good chance of making it in this game." Ferguson's praise was echoed by Wrexham manager Denis Smith. "Mark's going to be a hell of a talent, I'm expecting him to score goals every time he steps on the pitch," said Smith. "He goes past people, commits them, is good on the ball and is getting better very quickly. "I've watched his development for the last three-and-a-half years. He was small and quiet, but now he's filling out and growing into a man. "Being with Wales has helped, mixing with better players always improves you. "It might sound like I'm trying to sell him, but that's absolutely the last thing I want to happen!"

Alexander buoyed by Imps victory
Lincoln boss Keith Alexander was glowing after his side's win over Wrexham extended Imps' unbeaten run to six games. Alexander told the Lincoln Echo: "It was an excellent performance and I'm very pleased. "I thought the players showed a bit of patience even though they and the crowd were getting a bit anxious. "We passed the ball well at times, we looked solid, created some excellent chances and could have won by more."

Lincoln City 2-0 Stockport
Striker Gary Birch ended his seven-game goal drought with a brace as Lincoln earned their third win of the season. Stockport pressured in the first half with Matt Hamshaw twice going close, but Birch burst through the defence to score with a low shot after 52 minutes. And Birch brought his season's total to seven after 77 minutes after Derek Asamoah opened up Stockport's defence. Lincoln almost made it three 60 seconds later as Lincoln substitute Luke Foster sent a thunderous drive inches wide. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lincoln City: Rayner, Cryan, Bloomer, McAuley, Mayo, Kerr, Keates, Steve Robinson (Foster 73), Marvin Robinson (Molango 82), Asamoah (Ryan 88), Birch. Subs Not Used: Folkes, Coleman. Goals: Birch 53, 78. Stockport: Ikeme, Clare, Vaughan, Briggs, Robinson, Greenwood, Ashley Williams, Hamshaw, Chris Williams, Bramble (Dje 75), Malcolm (Le Fondre 82). Subs Not Used: Spencer, Raynes, Crowe. Att: 3,508 Ref: N Swarbrick (Lancashire).

Lincoln City 0-1 Cheltenham
A second-half strike from Kayode Odejayi was enough to give Cheltenham maximum points at Lincoln. Odejayi rose to meet a 76th-minute cross from skipper Grant McCann and powered home a header from six yards. Cheltenham controlled the majority of the match and had almost sneaked the lead earlier on when JJ Melligan broke down the flank. His cross found Adam Connolly but the midfielder's shot was well saved by Lincoln goalkeeper Simon Rayner. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lincoln City: Rayner, Bloomer, Cryan, Beevers, Foster, Kerr, Butcher, Keates, Asamoah (Green 82), Birch, Ryan (Hughes 71). Subs Not Used: Steve Robinson, Molango, Marvin Robinson. Booked: Hughes. Cheltenham: Higgs, Duff, Caines, Wilson, Spencer, McCann, Bird, Connolly, Odejayi, Armstrong, Melligan. Subs Not Used: Victory, Guinan, Scott Brown, Gallinagh, Aaron Brown. Booked: Caines, Wilson, McCann. Goals: Odejayi 76. Att: 4,776 Ref: C Boyeson (E Yorkshire).

Striker Yeo completes Imps return
Lincoln City boss Keith Alexander has re-signed former Imps striker Simon Yeo until the end of the season, reports a Sir Stanley source. Yeo, who spent three years at Sincil Bank between 2002 and 2005, is back following his return from a short spell with the New Zealand Knights. The 32-year-old said that Lincoln were the only club he wanted to sign for, despite interest from other teams. League Two rivals Grimsby and Oxford were also reportedly interested in him. Yeo scored 46 goals in 143 league and cup appearances during his first spell at Sincil Bank. The former soldier and postman played a key role in their three successive play-off campaigns in 2003, 2004 and 2005, before moving to New Zealand in the summer.

Imps boss questions Yeo red card
Lincoln boss Keith Alexander was disappointed with referee Trevor Parkes after Imps striker Simon Yeo was sent off in the 1-1 draw at Peterborough. Yeo had already been booked for a foul when he was shown a second yellow card for over-celebrating his equaliser. "How can you send people off for celebrating goals?" Alexander said. "In fairness to the referee, he told the players not to go into the crowd, but it's a natural reaction. The referee's got to use common sense."

Alexander unhappy with dismissal
Lincoln boss Keith Alexander was not happy after being sent to the stands by Middlesex-based referee Jarnail Singh during their 1-1 draw at Macclesfield. "You've got to be careful what you say about the referee," Alexander said. "But I was swinging at the ball in frustration about what's gone off in front of me. He didn't even say anything, just sent me to the stands. "Referees don't speak to you these days and they're a law unto themselves. He made wrong decisions all afternoon."

Imps defender Bloomer joining U's
Cambridge United have agreed a loan move for Lincoln defender Matt Bloomer after he impressed in a friendly. The 27-year-old will join the U's for an initial month's stay with a view to a potential longer-term move. "If Matt isn't offered anything at Lincoln then he might be a key player for us next season as well," boss Rob Newman told Cambridge's website. Bloomer has not played for Lincoln since December and recently spent a month on loan at Grimsby.

Alexander handed February award
Lincoln City boss Keith Alexander has been named as League Two's manager of the month for February. The Imps collected four wins and a draw from their five league games during the month, beating Stockport, Torquay, Barnet and Notts County. They are now pushing for a fourth successive appearance in the play-offs. The other contenders for the League Two award were Carlisle boss Paul Simpson, Grimsby manager Russell Slade and Mansfield's Peter Shirtliff.

Lincoln 2-2 Rushden & Diamonds
Lincoln skipper Jamie McCombe headed an injury-time equaliser to earn a draw and deny relegation-threatened Rushden the three points. The Imps took the lead when Simon Yeo pounced on a sliced clearance from Rushden's keeper Scott Tynan. Substitute John Turner levelled when he ran through the Lincoln defence and scored with a low shot. Two minutes later Simeon Jackson put Rushden ahead for the second time but it was not enough for the win. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lincoln City: Marriott, Cryan, McAuley (Beevers 21), McCombe, Mayo, Brown, Steve Robinson, Kerr, Green (Frecklington 51), Birch (Gritton 75), Yeo. Subs Not Used: Ryan, Marvin Robinson. Booked: Yeo. Goals: Yeo 22, McCombe 90. Rushden & Diamonds: Tynan, Nicholls, Gulliver, Hatswell, Bull, Berry (Turner 68), Savage, Caskey, Kelly, Broughton (Okuonghae 86), Stokes (Jackson 45). Subs Not Used: Hunter, Crane. Goals: Turner 82, Jackson 84. Att: 4,383 Ref: G Laws (Tyne & Wear).

Boston v Lincoln City
Boston manager Steve Evans looks set to ring the changes after the 5-0 defeat by Mansfield, with Chris Holland and Brad Maylett in line to return. The pair missed last week's Field Mill humiliation with Achilles and groin injuries respectively. Lincoln will be without key defender Gareth McAuley but his stomach injury is not as bad as first feared and he will only miss two to three weeks. Paul Morgan (broken foot) and Danny Bacon (broken leg) could return.

Imps striker Yeo to undergo scan
Lincoln striker Simon Yeo will undergo a scan later this week to discover the extent of the knee injury he picked up in Saturday's 2-1 loss at Boston. The 32-year-old was carried off midway through the second half at York Street following a tackle by Gary Silk. Yeo was taken to a hospital in Boston as a precautionary measure and was due to see a specialist on Monday. The forward has hit five goals in 11 appearances for the Sincil Bank outfit since the turn of the year.

View Full Version: Lincoln City