The Imps go into this weekend’s game against Leyton Orient with no fresh injury concerns.
One of the strong points of this season has been our ability to stay injury-free, and while we do have a fresh concern, it is for a player likely to have been on the bench.
That player is Zach Jeacock, who missed out on a spot on the bench against Stevenage, and who is now likely to be out for a couple of weeks.
“He’s fallen on his shoulder in training,” Michael Skubala said in his pre-match press conference. “So, he’s had a scan. He’s going to be out for a couple of weeks, but he should be okay, not too long.”
That does pose the question, what of Jamie Pardington? He was sent out on loan, and he has played in the FA Cup, but new rules around being cup-tied mean he can still play for City this season.
“He’s obviously gone out on loan and played in the FA Cup. You can play for two teams, two clubs this year in the FA Cup. So, he’s good to be on the bench through league games and the FA Cup next week.”
Another player absent from the fine win against Stevenage was Adan Jackson. The long-serving defender is now in his sixth season with the Imps, and he is back in contention for Saturday. Will it come too soon? If it doesn’t, Tom Hamer is a more than capable replacement.
“Jacko’s back into training, which is great news,” confirmed Michael. “We’re just seeing how it reacts this week, but he should be in for selection for Saturday, which is fantastic news.”
Aside from that, we have no fresh injury concerns. Dom Jefferies and Jack Moylan both remain sidelined, but both are on the recovery trail. That leaves Michael with a strong squad to choose from going into the usually challenging winter period.
“We’re all healthy, we’re all ready to go, so no massive updates. Jack is doing his running, and Dom Jeff is into team training and building up his fitness and body again.
“We’re in a good place with bodies, got loads of players to select from, and they’re training really well. It’s a really competitive and exciting group at the moment.”
We’re looking to avenge our defeat at Orient last season, where we fought back from 2-0 down to level, only for Charlie Kelman to get a late winner.
They may be below us in the table, but in the xG table they’re actually a place above us, showing they’re creating chances. Having a fit and firing squad will certainly help us see out those latter stages, should we need to.