Lincoln City

Lincoln v Leyton Orient
Lincoln are without Simon Yeo (knee) and Ollie Ryan (hamstring). Paul Mayo may be substitute after he recovered from chipped bone, while on-loan Bristol Rovers star Jamie Forrester, plays his final game. Orient could be without defender Donny Barnard after he limped out of the goalless draw against Grimsby. But Justin Miller should return after a calf problem and Adam Tann may continue to deputise for Gabriel Zakuani, who missed the Grimsby game with injury.

Lincoln 1-1 Leyton Orient
Jamie Forrester's goal kept Lincoln in the League Two play-off places as they managed a draw with Leyton Orient. The visitors took an early lead at Sincil Bank through John Mackie, who rose high to head home a Matt Lockwood corner after just 75 seconds. They should have doubled their lead when Donny Barnard shot wide from 10 yards but Lincoln levelled thanks to a clinical Forrester shot from 20 yards. Forrester almost won it with a 40-yard strike that was saved late on. Lincoln City: Marriott, McAuley, Morgan, McCombe, Hughes, Kerr (Frecklington 84), Beevers, Brown, Green, Forrester, Marvin Robinson (Birch 74). Subs Not Used: Mayo, Bloomer, Gritton. Goals: Forrester 36. Leyton Orient: Garner, Barnard (McMahon 85), Lockwood, Simpson, Tann, Corden, Mackie, Easton, Zakuani, Alexander (Steele 76), Connor (Ibehre 76). Subs Not Used: Saah, Morris. Booked: Simpson, Zakuani, Alexander, Ibehre. Goals: Mackie 2. Att: 5,660 Ref: T Parkes (W Midlands).

Imps chasing Forrester extension
Lincoln City manager Keith Alexander is still trying to extend Bristol Rovers striker Jamie Forrester's loan spell until the end of the season. Forrester has scored five goals in seven games for the Imps, but the initial month-long deal ended after Saturday's draw with Leyton Orient. "We've been in discussions for three or four days, if not longer - we'll keep trying," Alexander explained. "I don't know whether we'll be able to keep him, but he's done a good job."

Forrester extends Imps loan deal
Lincoln have secured the services of Bristol Rovers striker Jamie Forrester for the rest of the season and will seal a permanent deal in the summer. Forrester, 31, has had his loan spell extended and will sign a two-year deal when the transfer-window re-opens. "Jamie will re-locate with his family to Lincoln and become a key part of our future," chairman Steff Wright told Lincoln's website. He has scored five goals in his first seven games for Lincoln.

Shrewsbury v Lincoln City
Striker Colin McMenamin is back in contention for Shrewsbury's home clash with Lincoln after completing a three-match suspension. The 25-year-old is expected to play at least some part against the Imps. Midfielder Dave Edwards is sure to miss out with the ankle ligament injury he sustained a fortnight ago. On-loan striker Simon Yeo (knee) is to have a late fitness test to see if he can make Lincoln's line-up and link-up with new recruit Jamie Forrester.

Shrewsbury 0-1 Lincoln City
Lincoln inched closer to a play-off spot for the fourth season in a row with a hard-earned win. Gareth McAuley scored the only goal in the 62nd minute as he headed home when England Under-19 keeper Joe Hart failed to collect Scott Kerr's free-kick. Colin McMenamin and Jamie Tolley both went close for the Shrews with long-range efforts, while Sagi Burton sent a wild shot over the bar. The Red Imps' win ended Shrewsbury's own faint hopes of a play-off spot. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shrewsbury: Hart, Herd, Burton, Hope, Ashton, McMenamin (Evans 74), Tolley, Sorvel, Langmead, Stallard, Hurst (Adaggio 35). Subs Not Used: Thompson, Cowan, Cadwallader. Booked: Burton. Lincoln City: Marriott, McAuley, Morgan, McCombe, Beevers, Kerr (Frecklington 89), Brown, Hughes, Green, Marvin Robinson, Forrester (Mayo 89). Subs Not Used: Birch, Bacon, Cryan. Booked: Marvin Robinson. Goals: McAuley 62. Att: 5,170 Ref: G Lewis (Cambridgeshire).

Alexander salutes Lincoln efforts
Keith Alexander hailed his hard-working Lincoln side after they beat Shrewsbury 1-0 to go within a point of reaching a fourth successive play-off campaign. "This is a difficult place to come, and it was just a question of getting a result," the Imps boss explained. "I'm not one for individuals, and I think everybody's done their job. "We had an indifferent first half to the season, but I've always said we're not a million miles away - hopefully they will prove me right next week."

Lincoln 0-1 Grimsby
Gary Jones scored the only goal as Grimsby took control of their play-off tie after the first leg. Grimsby, who finished 12 points ahead of Lincoln in the league, scored when Jones converted Curtis Woodhouse's cross with his right foot. Lincoln had two goals ruled out, one for a foul and the other for offside, while Grimsby keeper Steve Mildenhall saved from Jeff Hughes and Lee Beevers. Paul Bolland hit the woodwork for Grimsby and Scott Kerr for the Imps. Kerr's effort was virtually the last kick of the game and came after Tom Newey had cleared off the line from Nat Brown. Lincoln went into the game unbeaten in their final six games of the league season and were on top when Jones struck for Grimsby midway through the first half. Keith Alexander's side continued to threaten after conceding - Hughes' free-kick and Beevers well-struck shot both bringing out the best of Mildenhall. Marvin Robinson headed just wide on the stroke of half-time and Bolland rattled the top of the bar soon after the restart. Lincoln defender Gary Cohen made a crucial deflection to prevent Andy Parkinson from doubling Grimsby's advantage - but it was the home team creating the bulk of the openings. Francis Green shot just wide and Hughes shot across the face of goal before Grimsby cleared. And the chances continued until the very end - Andy Parkinson shooting narrowly wide for the Mariners and Kerr hitting the woodwork for the Imps. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lincoln manager Keith Alexander: "I was quite pleased with our performance. We had a lot of the all and had one or two chances and it has not been our day. "We had the better chances all game, we were on top and they were hanging on. We hit the bar and post and they had one effort. We should have done much better. "It will be a difficult game going there one down. But we can afford to go and attack and that is what we will do. They will be delighted coming away with a 1-0 win but we put them under pressure all game." Grimsby boss Russell Slade: "There is still a lot of football to be played. We probably surprised them by settling quicker. We tried to get the ball down. "It became scrappy at times, Lincoln began to put us under pressure particularly from corners and long throws but I thought we defended resolutely throughout. "They will play three up front and bombard us and make life difficult for us (in the second leg). I didn't come here to sit back, I came with a 4--4-2 and I've come to try to win a match and it will be no different when we are home." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lincoln City: Marriott, McAuley, Morgan, McCombe, Hughes, Beevers (Frecklington 60), Kerr, Brown, Marvin Robinson (Birch 76), Forrester, Green (Yeo 60). Subs Not Used: Mayo, Cryan. Booked: Marvin Robinson. Grimsby: Mildenhall, McDermott (Croft 18), Futcher, Whittle, Newey, Cohen (Reddy 68), Bolland, Woodhouse, Parkinson, Gary Jones, Mendes (Toner 78). Subs Not Used: Kamudimba, Goodfellow. Booked: Woodhouse, Cohen, Futcher. Goals: Gary Jones 22. Att: 8,037. Ref: L Mason (Lancashire).

Grimsby v Lincoln
Grimsby manager Russell Slade hopes to be able to call on influential defender Rob Jones for the League Two semi-final second-leg against Lincoln on Tuesday. Jones missed the first leg as his wife was due to give birth. Michael Reddy (groin) should play, with the Mariners reporting no other injury worries. Lincoln striker Simon Yeo is available after proving he has recovered from a knee injury as a first-leg substitute. Otherwise, the Imps are only missing striker Ollie Ryan (hamstring). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grimsby manager Russell Slade: "In the second leg Lincoln will bombard us and make life difficult. We have a very slight, slender advantage. "Lincoln began to put us under pressure from corners and long throws in the first leg but I thought we defended resolutely throughout. "It was a great atmosphere for the first game and it will be the same at Blundell Park. "There is a lot still to be done but we are desperate to take our second opportunity of getting into League One." Lincoln manager Keith Alexander: "It is only 1-0. It is difficult because have only got to sit there and they are good at that but if we can get an early goal then it livens the tie up. "We can afford to go there and attack them and that is what we will do. "If our quality is better in certain areas then we have got a chance of going there and putting them under a bit of pressure and if we get our supporters behind us, we'll go at them." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GRIMSBY TOWN go into this second leg of the League Two play-off semi-final with local rivals Lincoln, one game away from a place in the final against either Wycombe or Cheltenham at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday 28 May. Gary Jones scored a poacher's goal after 22 minutes of the first leg to give Grimsby a one goal advantage. The Mariners are defending a 100% play-off record, having gained promotion to the second level in their only previous experience in 1997/98. They beat Fulham in the semi-finals, and then Northampton through Kevin Donovan's goal at Wembley. Grimsby then spent five seasons in the Nationwide Division One, before suffering successive relegations. They sunk to 18th in the fourth tier last season - their lowest finish for 34 years. Now Russell Slade is engineering the climb back. His side missed out on automatic promotion by three points, having spent the vast bulk of the season in the top three. They were literally seconds away from their ultimate goal, when Northampton equalised at Blundell Park, and fellow promotion-chasers Leyton Orient netted a decisive winner at doomed Oxford. Lincoln, by comparison, go into the tie in the ascendant. They'd been rising steadily in the table since December and only consolidated seventh spot in the last four games. They ended the regular season on a six match unbeaten run - Grimsby are now undefeated in six (two wins, four draws). The club in fourth place in the fourth tier has been promoted through the play-offs on 10 occasions. The Blundell Park club have won four of their last five home meetings with Lincoln. Three of those victories were in the League and clean sheets were kept on each occasion. LINCOLN CITY travel the 40 miles or so to Cleethorpes for this second leg, desperate to avoid setting an unwanted record. No club has competed in four consecutive play-off competitions and failed to be promoted. This is the fourth season in a row that Keith Alexander has guided the Imps to the play-offs, and all four appearances have been for a place in the third tier. City defeated Scunthorpe in the semi-finals in 2003, but lost 5-2 to Bournemouth in the final at the Millennium Stadium. The following year, Huddersfield ended their promotion aspirations at the semi-final stage. Last season, the Sincil Bank club defeated Macclesfield, but then lost 0-2 to Southend in Cardiff. City ended the regular season in seventh place, three points ahead of Darlington, but three places and 12 points behind Grimsby, although they actually scored one more goal (65 to 64). The club finishing seventh at fourth League level has won promotion via the play-offs just twice. Since returning to the League from the Conference in 1988, Lincoln have spent only one season of the 18 outside the fourth tier - winning promotion in 1998, before an immediate return. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THIS SEASON'S LEAGUE MEETINGS: Grimsby Town 3-0 Lincoln City 28 December 2005 - Ref: R Olivier Grimsby scorers: Toner 9, Reddy 25, Parkinson 44 Lincoln City 5-0 Grimsby Town 25 March 2006 - Ref: Steve Bennett Lincoln scorers: Foster 12, Forrester 16, Mayo 38 pen, Robinson 44, Beevers 83 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS League: Grimsby 34, Lincoln 25 wins, Draws 23 HEAD TO HEAD at Grimsby League: Grimsby 20, Lincoln 9 wins, Draws 12

Grimsby 2-1 Lincoln (agg 3-1)
Grimsby claimed a place in the League Two play-off final with a hard-fought 3-1 aggregate win over Lincoln City. The Mariners led 1-0 from the first leg at Sincil Bank but Lincoln levelled the tie when Marvin Robinson headed home Scott Kerr's first-half free-kick. However, Ben Futcher's flicked finish put Grimsby back in front and Gary Jones sealed their victory with a header before he was sent off late on. Grimsby will play Cheltenham or Wycombe in the final on 28 May. But Jones - who had also scored the only goal in the first leg - may miss that game following his dismissal for clashing with Lincoln defender Gareth McAuley in injury time. His sending off came too late to influence a game that had been full of action from the start. Both teams had chances before the Imps took the lead on 27 minutes, with the goal coming while Grimsby's giant defender Rob Jones received treatment for a clash of heads with Robinson. Seconds after he left the pitch, Kerr's dangerous inswinging free-kick was met by Robinson with a firm header that bounced into the net. Grimsby boss Russell Slade immediately replaced Rob Jones with Futcher, and it was he who restored the Mariners' aggregate lead on the hour mark. Tom Newey's cross was headed back across goal by Gary Jones and Futcher was in the right place to turn the ball over the line. And Slade's side made sure of victory with 10 minutes left when Curtis Woodhouse flighted in a free-kick which Gary Jones glanced home. Lincoln become the first team to lose out in four successive play-off campaigns. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grimsby manager Russell Slade: "We had to work very hard. Lincoln got off to a good start and credit to them for getting ahead. "At half-time we told the players to stay cool and calm - they stuck to their task and did very well. "I want another look at Gary Jones' red card. He says he has done little wrong and we are considering an appeal." Lincoln manager Keith Alexander: "I'm very disappointed and thought we were poor from start to finish. "Four years of failure in the play-offs is better than finishing bottom of the league every year. "I'm going to go away and have a good holiday which I thoroughly deserve." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grimsby: Mildenhall, Croft, Whittle, Robert Jones (Futcher 28), Newey, Cohen (Reddy 59), Bolland, Woodhouse, Parkinson, Gary Jones, Mendes (Toner 76). Subs Not Used: Goodfellow, Kamudimba. Sent Off: Gary Jones (90). Booked: Croft, Whittle. Goals: Futcher 60, Gary Jones 82. Lincoln City: Marriott, McAuley, Morgan, McCombe (Mayo 86), Beevers (Green 74), Kerr (Frecklington 77), Brown, Hughes, Forrester, Marvin Robinson, Yeo. Subs Not Used: Birch, Cryan. Booked: McCombe, Hughes, Yeo, Frecklington, Green. Goals: Marvin Robinson 27. Agg (3-1) Att: 8,062 Ref: M Dean (Wirral).

No swift decision, says Bloomer
Utility man Matt Bloomer will wait to consider his options following his release by Lincoln City. Bloomer, 27, is a target for Conference side Cambridge, after a successful loan spell there last season. But he told the Lincolnshire Echo: "There's no rush. I enjoyed my time at Cambridge, but ideally I want to stay in the League. "I will assess the offers - as and when they come in - like a lot of players do at this time."

Cockerill flattered by job links
Woking manager Glenn Cockerill is "flattered" to be linked with the vacancies at two Football League clubs in his native Lincolnshire. Grimsby and Lincoln are searching for new bosses, after parting company with Russell Slade and Keith Alexander. "I was brought up in Cleethorpes and my parents still live close to the (Grimsby) ground," Cockerill said. "I had six fantastic years at Lincoln as a player - both clubs mean a lot to me, but I'm under contract at Woking." Cockerill, 46, has two years remaining on his current deal at Kingfield. As well as Lincoln, he also played for Swindon, Sheffield United, Southampton, Leyton Orient, Fulham and Brentford. He added: "Any approach that any club make for me must be carried out via the proper channels and between the respective chairmen."

Lincoln City 3-3 Leicester City
Leicester City came back from going three goals down against Lincoln City to draw 3-3 at Sincil Bank on Monday. Lee Franklington's speculative 25-yard shot put the Imps ahead and Scott Kerr ran clear to make it 2-0 soon after. Jamie Forrester made it 3-0 before the break when he followed up after Foxes keeper Rab Douglas saved his penalty. But Chris O'Grady pulled one back from close range and then set up Elvis Hammond to score a second before a Phil Watts' own goal levelled the score.

Lincoln chairman wary of takeover
Lincoln City chairman Steff Wright has criticised the attempts of former directors Ray Trew and Keith Roe to take over the club. In a statement, Trew insisted a new consortium would keep the Imps as a community-based organisation while also pumping money into the club. But Wright said he \"would seriously question the motives\" of the pair. He added: \"I must express my disappointment at the style of these particular approaches.\"

Lincoln 1-1 Notts County
Notts County snatched a point at Lincoln after a spirited second-half fightback from Steve Thompson's side. Thompson's team contained eight new faces in their starting line-up and quickly found themselves a goal down. A 10th-minute corner from Jeff Hughes was cleared off the line but Lincoln's Adie Moses fired home the rebound. And when on-loan midfielder Ian Ross sent in a left-wing free-kick, Lincoln's Jeff Hughes could only deflect the effort into his own net. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lincoln City: Marriott, Beevers, Moses, Morgan, Hughes, Frecklington, Kerr (Cryan 62), Amoo, Bacon (Semple 52), Stallard, Forrester (Mayo 73). Subs Not Used: Rayner, Birch. Goals: Moses 10. Notts County: Pilkington, Pipe, Edwards, White, McCann, Silk, Ross (Curtis 80), Somner, Parkinson, Dudfield (Mendes 53), Lee (N'Toya 67). Subs Not Used: Deeney, Gleeson. Booked: Lee. Goals: Hughes 55 og. Att: 6,046 Ref: A Bates (Staffordshire).

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