After an excellent midweek Papa John’s Trophy win over Sheffield Wednesday, Hartlepool United turn their attention to the FA Cup in Graeme Lee’s first game in charge. Joined by assistant Micky Nelson, Lee will hope for more of the same after Wednesday evening’s 3-0 win in Yorkshire.
The Opposition
Lincoln currently sit 18th in League One, with 21 points from their opening 19 fixtures. The Imps overcame Bowers & Pitsea in the first round, winning 1-0 at Sincil Bank.
Led by experienced manager Michael Appleton, the Lincoln side features former Pools loanee Adam Jackson and former Sunderland duo Chris Maguire and Liam Bridcutt.
The History
This will be the 114th meeting between the sides, with Pools winning 40 of the previous fixtures. Lincoln have won 48 and 25 games have ended in a draw.
Last time the sides met, Pools, complete with Gary Liddle in midfield and now-assistant coach Nelson on the bench, defeated Lincoln 5-2 after a Joel Porter hat-trick and goals from Michael Mackay and Ian Moore.
Team News
After Wednesday evening’s excellent display in the Papa John’s Trophy, Graeme Lee has a tough decision to make on his line-up. Key players, including Nicky Featherstone, Gary Liddle, and David Ferguson all missed out during the week, with those coming in doing more than enough to stake a claim to keeping their place.
How to Follow
If you're not making the trip to Lincoln, you can follow all of the action via iFollow, with audio coverage beginning shortly before kick-off. Listen to Alex Chandy and Adam Boyd by purchasing your audio pass below: