This weekend we get our 2023/24 FA Cup campaign underway with a trip to the LNER Stadium to face Lincoln City
Morecambe are looking to bounce back from defeat at Barrow on Tuesday night with as they head to face Lincoln City in the First Round of this season’s FA Cup.
Defeat in Cumbria brought to an end an 8-game unbeaten run for Derek Adams’ side as they head to the East in cup competition tomorrow.
The hosts, Lincoln City, currently find themselves in a period of transition following the departure of Manager Mark Kennedy and Assistant Manager Danny Butterfield. Having lost to Oxford United on Tuesday and drawn with Exeter City last weekend, The Imps will also be looking for a return to winning ways.
The Opposition
As mentioned above the recent departure of Manager Mark Kennedy has Lincoln looking for a new leader. Having overseen 73 games in charge of The Imps, Kennedy was undefeated in 52 of those fixtures.
Lincoln City currently sit in 9th position in League One with 6 wins, 4 draws and 5 defeats from their opening 15 games, which has seen them score 19 goals and concede 16 in the process.
Their last 5 games have seen 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats, as they strive to find a level of consistency in a strong League One this term.
Tom Shaw is currently in caretaker charge at the LNER Stadium.
Key Players
Midfielder Ethan Erhahon has barely missed a moment since joining Lincoln from St Mirren on 31st January 2023. The Scotland youth international signed a long-term deal at the LNER Stadium for a sizable fee and has been a mainstay in middle of the park for The Imps. The midfielder is known for his ability to regain possession of the ball in the middle of the park with strong attributes in picking out key passes.
Another Ethan to keep your eye on is Ethan Hamilton. The midfielder joined Lincoln this summer from Accrington Stanley for an undisclosed fee and on a three-year deal. The Edinburgh-born midfielder has played over 200 career games at only 25 years old and boasts a strong CV in League One football following spells with Rochdale, Southend United, Bolton Wanderers, Peterborough United, Accrington and now Lincoln.
Jack Burroughs is another player to keep your eye on. The midfielder, currently on loan from Coventry City, has been almost an ever present since joining The Imps on loan this summer. 22-year-old Burroughs can play in the centre of midfield as well as in wide areas and as full-back when required. The Scotland youth international has strong experience for his age with over 20 appearances for Coventry City as well as experience in the Scottish Premiership whilst on loan at Ross County.
Tom Shaw’s Pre-Match Thoughts
Ahead of the FA Cup first round clash, Caretaker Manager Tom Shaw was keen to appreciate the challenge of Morecambe visiting the LNER Stadium as the teams prepare to do battle.
Speaking to Lincoln’s YouTube Channel, he said: “We’re excited about this fixture. We know Morecambe are good, they are going fine in their division, going well.”
“They (Morecambe) are a good side, they have recruited really well, really smartly- players that have fallen off the radar a little bit and they have given them an opportunity.”
“They (Morecambe) have a manager who knows how to win and a manager that knows how to maximise his players so, we are aware this is a really tough test for us.”
“They will come in underdog mode Morecambe, so we have to appreciate that, understand that and fight back, punch back and try and dominate the fixture.”
Team News
Jake Taylor and Stuart Moore remain as the only absentees for Morecambe with Stuart Moore having, this week, had an operation that will keep him out from 12-16 weeks.
Aside from that, Derek Adams will have a good pool to select from given the recent returns from injury and suspension to his squad.
Meet The Officials
Martin Coy will be the man in the middle on Saturday. He will be flanked by assistants Christopher Ward & Simon Clayton, with Alex Sawden the fourth official for this one.
Having taken charge of eleven games so far this season in League’s One, Two and the Carabao Cup, the referee has issued 48 yellow cards and three red cards.
Coy was in charge of our opening day victory over Walsall at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium. On that day he shelled out 10 yellow cards.
