Lincoln City head coach Michael Skubala gave an injury update ahead of our first trip to Kenilworth Road in eight years, and while there is nothing new, the injuries are beginning to pile up.
With Bradford playing Cardiff City this weekend, we know a win will allow us to gain ground on one of the two teams we’re sandwiched between, but Luton won’t be easy. With four times our budget and home advantage, they’ll be hoping to grab a win to put them back into the promotion frame.
Earlier in the season, City ran out 3-1 winners, but the squad certainly looks a little threadbare when compared to September. City are missing six senior players, five of whom would almost certainly be in contention for a start against the Hatters.
“We’re up to six senior players injured now,” said Michael on YouTube. “Oscar Thorn, he’s on his way back. Not too far off, but still injured. You know, Tom Bayliss has obviously picked up that injury at Stockport.”
“There’s that Collo (James Collins), as we know, which I think the club has done great by him. And it’s great news for him to get his extra year, which I just think is massive credit to the club.
“We’ve got Housie on the way back. We’ve got Jacko on the way back.”
One player classed as a senior pro that we haven’t seen yet is Josh Honohan. He’s a big signing from Shamrock Rovers, and one we were hoping to see as soon as he signed.
We know that’s not the case, but he is around the players, and while we have had two weeks off from football, the squad have not, giving the new face time to integrate
“He’s had a little bit of a setback coming in from, or not even before he came in. Josh is a senior player that was projected to come in and play straight away. He’s on the mend, which is good.
“He is absolutely jumping, you can tell straight away, the frustration. He just wants to play. But he’s doing well. He’s settled in well. We’re integrating him into team meetings, integrating him into how we want to be so that hopefully he can hit the ground running as well.”
City don’t have a great record against Luton, with just seven wins in our 34 meetings over the years. We have been beaten on our last five trips to ‘The Kenny’ as it is known, and haven’t won in our last seven. You have to go back to 1999, when this writer was still filled with the vigour of youth, to find our last away win (and only win at Kenilworth Road). On that occasion, we won 1-0, with Lee Thorpe getting the crucial goal.
Before that? We won at their old ground, Dallow Lane, in 1900, Jimmy Hartley and Thomas McCairns scored the goals.