Lincoln City VS Shrewsbury Town
Checkatrade Trophy Final
Wembley Stadium
3PM BST
High-flying Shrewsbury face off with a Lincoln side also enjoying a brilliant season under the reign of the Cowley’s for the first silverware of the campaign. Here we take a look at both sides in the competition and the league, and how a remarkable turn of fortune see’s both side looking to win their first game at Wembley.
Recent form- League campaigns
Lincoln City-
Having been unbeaten in March and sitting in the League Two play-off spots, the Imps have been exceptional in the Cowley’s two years in charge. March began with the postponement of Coventry away, the disappointment quickly washed away with a short trip to Chesterfield, a highly successful afternoon ended with a 3-1 win. The same score-line was endured in blizzardly conditions in the Lincolnshire Derby, an appalling Grimsby side were undone by three goals in the space of eight first half minutes to ensure a compounding miserable season for the Mariners stretched even further. Three successive wins were not to be as an in-form Morecambe side stifled the Imps, but Easter provided the perfect way to return to winning ways. Exeter were the visitors, inconsistent but bang in-form. Five goals were an understatement of the attacking intent in a game that almost had everything, Lincoln running out 3-2 winners. A trip to Carlisle was a tough ask to bring home 3 points against the Cumbrians needing points to chase down the play-offs. A solitary Green goal was all it needed to lift City up to six, seven points of the automatic spots with a game in hand on Wycombe and the Chairboy’s are yet to come to Sincil Bank.
Shrewsbury Town-
The Shrews are in similar form to the Imps, they have only tasted one defeat in nine games. Since a one nil defeat against Rotherham, they responded in the best possible fashion, picking up four points from six before defeating Yeovil in the Checkatrade Trophy semi-final to set up Sunday’s tie with Lincoln. Wins at Walsall and Scunthorpe were followed up by a feisty encounter at Sixfields, a share of the spoils for the Shrews. A second successive sending off didn’t change the outcome of victory but in the long-term, the rotation of the squad saw them crumble to defeat at Rochdale. They brushed themselves off though and made the perfect response against Oxford, seeing off late pressure to record a three two victory. Wembley though represents a day out for their fans and a chance to make their own history, to become the first Shrews side to win at Wembley, failing on the previous three times of asking. They will be without skipper Abu Ogogo who will miss Sunday’s showdown as well as the remainder of the campaign.
Managers History
Danny Cowley-
The now successful Imps gaffer began at Concord, starting off in the Essex Senior Football League, three promotions over an eight-year stint at the club saw them end up in the National League South- the second highest division in non-league football. Guiding the club to the FA Cup 1st round and almost securing a play-off spot earned him and his brother a move to National League side Braintree. In his only season at the club, they achieved a place in the play-offs, but the semi-finals would where the dream would end, eventually promoted Grimsby (managed by Hurst) overcame them 2-1 on aggregate. He was offered the vacant role at Lincoln City, an opportunity that he took as he looked to guide them back into the EFL. He came as a former P.E manager as well as being part time manager at Concord, with a positive track record, optimism was high for the Cowley’s to secure a play-off spot. As the season panned out that would’ve been below the level that the Imps had been guided to. A historic FA Cup run saw Oldham, Ipswich, and Brighton all fall foul of the incredible underdogs, but the best was yet to come at Burnley, where the Imps matched a side with one of the top home Premier League records until Sean Raggett secured on of the greatest FA Cup upsets. Arsenal was the quarter-final tie, a 5-0 defeat proved a step too far but not without 9000 Imps chanting their hero’s names. After sustaining a push for promotion, the title was eventually secured in the final home game against Macclesfield. Now the form has continued into League Two, sitting sixth after a string of good results leave the Imps chasing another promotion and in the driving seat to do so.
Paul Hurst
When he tied up his boots after 400+ appearance at Rotherham, he went into managing and took a similar path to his opposing manager on Sunday in the lower leagues of football with former teammate Rob Scott at Ilkeston. They guided the Derbyshire outfit to eventual promotion to the Conference North but left the club after in was in a bad financial state to take over at Boston. At York Street they were able to complete a second successive promotion for the Pilgrims as well as the Northern Premier League Challenge Cup and Lincolnshire Senior Shield. In late March 2011, the pairs resignation was announced, and the vacant Grimsby job was to be their next move. After the Mariners had fallen out the Football League, they were sitting around mid-table. In their first full season in charge, FA Trophy commitments meant that after leading the pack by Christmas, they slumped to a 4th place finish, and their Wembley appearance ending in defeat on penalties. Hurst was left managing the Mariners on his own after Scott was sacked by the club. That resulted in an improved finish of 3rd and only trailing champions Barnet by six points. The play-offs weren’t to be that season either but in the 2015/16 Grimsby’s six-year absence from the EFL was lifted as they defeated Forest Green in the play-off final. But clubs elsewhere were looking for the signature of a manager with a growing reputation and a lowly Shrewsbury were the side needing a leader to guide them off the bottom of League one. Up stepped Paul Hurst from Grimsby to eventually steer the blues clear of the drop by two points ahead of local rivals Port Vale. This season has been a completely different story, the outsiders it an incredibly tight race for promotion to the Championship, currently occupying the final automatic spot. Hurst has most certainly been the saviour to a Shrewsbury, seemingly heading into League Two when he arrived to chasing promotion to the Championship, and with Wembley experience (losing with Grimsby once and winning once) he may be the man to guide the Shrews to their first win at the National Stadium.
Road to Wembley
Lincoln City-
The Checkatrade Trophy has just been another added bonus, just like the FA Cup and FA Trophy last year, built on taking the competition seriously and fielding strong sides. Even the fans have taken to the competition the further the Imps have ventured, almost 1000 made the short trip to Mansfield and crowds between 3,000 and 4,000 greeted the Imps against Everton and Notts County, one of the highest in the competition. But it has grown drastically for Sunday’s final, 26000 are to watch the Imps on their maiden appearance of the home of English Football.
The Imps started out in a local derby at Mansfield, looking to record their second win of the season. Potter put the Stags ahead after six minutes, but Whitehouse was on hand to level it up before the break. First it was the turn of former Town striker Ollie Palmer to put Lincoln ahead and when the Stags were pushing deep into injury time, another one of their own Matt Green exposed them on the counter and slotted into an open goal to secure the points. This competition was proving a pathway to the first team for fringe players, and Jordan Maguire-Drew grabbed his opportunity with two hands with two fine strikes against Everton. Although the toffies pulled one back with under ten minutes to go, there was to be no comeback. A point against Notts would seal City’s progress but they took all three thanks to a late Ginnelly strike to see the Imps with a 100% record in the groups. Accrington awaited in the last 32 and were here taking the competition more seriously that most and led through Wilks. Palmer leveller was short lived after a mightily unlucky Farman saw a long-range strike hit the bar and rebound in of the Imps shot stopper to restore Stanley’s advantage. A fourth goal of an action-packed half pulled the Lincoln level with Green firing in a congested area and the break looming large. Lincoln had Farman to thank in the second period and his stops allowed Raggett to win it for Lincoln just after the hour. Rochdale was the reward in the round of 16 and they looked like becoming the first side to stifle the Imps until Arnold’s cross was tapped home by Ollie Palmer to earn the red and white army a late victory. Wembley was edging ever closer with Peterborough awaiting in the quarters. A six-goal thriller including a winner in injury time from former Posh winger Anderson and finally Green to seal an emphatic victory, along with strikes from Rowe and Rhead to seal a 4-2 win. The only U21 side, Chelsea, would travel to Sincil Bank for the semi-finals. After more than matching the youngsters, Waterfall headed home to put the Imps on their way. But they were to be cruelly pegged back with Wembley in their sights and a first shoot-out would decide the fate of the tie. Lee Frecklington was given the chance to send the Imps to Wembley for the first time in their history, a chance that he dispatched at ease.
Shrewsbury-
Paul Hurt’s side began at Coventry in the Group stage of the competition and thanks to Payne and Gnahoua led at the Ricoh. In the space of twelve second half minutes, that lead was wipe out as first Andreu and then McNulty from the spot drew them level. Bolton was dismissed on 69 minutes making the difficulty of the tie increasingly harder. But in the 94th minute of the game, Riley provided a late winner to set the Shrews on their way to a first victory in this season competition. West Brom were enduring a tough season in the Premier League and their Academy side were brushed over at Meadow Lane, goals from John-Lewis, Morris and Dodds secured an easy win to all but secure their place in the knockout rounds. After drawing against Walsall in the League earlier this season, they were looking to spring a surprise result and once Godfrey was dismissed with a quarter of an hour remaining, the tide turned for Bakayoko to win it in stoppage time, but Shrewsbury were through to the round of 32. Port Vale were the opponents, having been involved in a relegation battle were looking for a cup run to put light in their season. A quick start was the right way about it, Montario scoring inside a minute. That was to be their only shot on target as the pressure told from the visitors, Dodds striking midway through the second half and Whalley broke the hosts hearts with around ten minutes to hold out. If that was a tough contest, Blackpool were resistant enough to send their last 16 tie to penalties, although they weren’t triumphant, they put up a fight to one of the highest ranked sides in the competition. After that 4-2 victory on penalties, they faced another League One outfit Oldham, but the Latics fell to an early Payne strike. The next goal would have to wait until the 67th minute as Holloway pegged The Shrews back but their lead was restored late in the game with Rodman sealing a spot in the last four. As found against Port Vale, the sides lower down in the footballing pyramid put up a real contest and that was no different from Yeovil who held their opponents for 62 minutes, but Morris struck to send the Shrews to Wembley.
On Sunday, both sides will walk out on the famous Wembley turf in-front of around 40,000 fans vying for a first victory at the biggest ground in the country. For those who are no longer with us, this is a time to remember the tough times for Lincoln City, those who changed the history of our growing club. And for a young boy who tragically hasn’t got long left with us, Jack Nottingham, this is his special day. When he walks out with the ball at Wembley, 40000 proud fans cheering their side on will come together to sing “There’s only one Jack Notty”.
Win, lose or draw, this is a momentous occasion for Lincoln, and those 26000 will be experiencing a piece of history and a game to last a lifetime.
Come on you Imps!
By Kyle Kennealey