Lincoln City have received an injury boost ahead of their fixture with Leyton Orient tomorrow evening.
The Imps travel to Brisbane Road as one of just four teams who were in action this weekend. Whilst their opponents are fresh, Lincoln had a worry over striker Jack Vale. The on-loan Blackburn man is the only first-team striker currently fit at the LNER Stadium, but he came off injured after 62 minutes of the 1-0 defeat at Stevenage.
That left him as a doubt for the trip to Brisbane Road, but new coach Michael Skubala confessed in his pre-match press conference that he didn’t have a worry about Vale, who was taken off as a precaution.
“Yeah, we’re looking okay with Jack,” said Skubala. “He felt his groin on Saturday, and with the injuries we have on the front line at the minute, I thought it was too risky to keep him on.
“He might have got through it, and then we might have lost him. It was a tough change to make, but we needed to see how he is. He got through a training session today, so we’ll see how he reacts again tomorrow morning.”
Vale was starting only his second league game for the Imps at Stevenage, having previously started the 2-0 defeat against Oxford United during caretaker Tom Shaw’s reign. He signed for the club under former coach Mark Kennedy in September but didn’t get to play during his reign – he returned to fitness for the 3-1 victory against Charlton a week after Kennedy was sacked.
He currently has one goal and one assist to his name at Lincoln, providing an assist for Mide Shodipo against Port Vale, having bagged against Notts County as the team progressed in the BSM Trophy.
The Imps travel to Brisbane Road to face Orient in the fixture rearranged from earlier in the season, where tragically, home supporter Derek Reynolds lost his life in a medical incident pitchside. Lincoln were losing that game 1-0, but the EFL ordered a full replay, much to the ire of many involved.
Writer’s View
Tomorrow’s game shouldn’t really be happening – in the interest of sporting integrity, it’s clear why the replay was ordered, but it still does not sit right with fans on either side of the situation.
For Lincoln, it is the second game in four days and one of three in eight days. Perhaps there’s a certain amount of karma that they go into the game a little fatigued, unlike Orient who have had a week off.
Whatever your thoughts about the game, it is good news for the Imps that Vale isn’t out for a period. With Tyler Walker, Reeco Hackett and Ben House all likely to be out into December and beyond, they need a little bit of luck when it comes to strikers.
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