Lincoln City will travel to Blackpool without their leading scorer, Ben House, following a confirmed injury that adds to the squad’s growing list of absentees.
House, who has netted three times this season, was forced off during the Imps’ 2-0 victory over Cambridge United, where his replacement, Freddie Draper, opened the scoring. The win lifted the Imps to third, but House will now miss their game against fourth-placed Blackpool tonight.
Head coach Michael Skubala confirmed to the club’s official media that House had suffered a broken nose and will miss the upcoming fixture. “Ben’s been to the hospital, and it looks like a broken nose, so it could be a while,” Skubala told reporters. “It might be a couple of weeks, or it could be longer, but we need to get it fully assessed.”
Lincoln will also be without a number of other key players for the trip to Bloomfield Road. Tyler Walker, Reeco Hackett, and Ethan Hamilton are all out with longer-term injuries. Additionally, Dylan Duffy remains unavailable. “Dylan Duffy is still out and struggling with injury. The good news is the lads with the flu are back,” Skubala added. “Hamo and Rico are still not quite ready yet, but they’re getting there.”
Ben House began his career in the academy at Reading but struggled to break into the first team. After loan spells at Swindon Town and Dagenham & Redbridge, he joined Eastleigh in 2020, where he impressed with his performances, scoring 13 goals across two seasons. In January 2022, he signed for Lincoln City, quickly making his mark by becoming the club’s top scorer in the 2022-23 season with 13 goals. House has been pivotal for Lincoln but missed much of last season with an injury, scoring just twice in the league.
Despite the injury concerns, Skubala remains upbeat about his sides chances, pointing to the depth in the squad, particularly among the forwards. Freddie Draper and Bailey Cadamarteri both found the net after coming on as substitutes in the last match, adding to the head coach’s confidence. “It’s always good when strikers score goals, but I like to see the whole team chipping in. It’s important for the strikers to score, but everyone needs to contribute,” Skubala said.
He also addressed the decision to withdraw Jovon Makama at half-time during the Cambridge game, after the young striker missed a couple of chances. The former Leeds United man expressed the decision was not down to his performance, explaining it was due to an early yellow card. “The decision to take Jovan off at half-time was because he was on a yellow, and we didn’t want to risk giving Cambridge an advantage with a silly tackle and a second yellow,” he clarified. “Jovan was very good in the first half, both with and without the ball.”
The Imps, who are looking to extend their unbeaten away run to 14 matches, face a difficult challenge against Blackpool, a side managed by Steve Bruce. The Tangerines were the last team to defeat Lincoln away, winning 2-0 in January. They also defeated the Imps in the 2021 Play-Off Final, denying them a return to the second tier for the first time in 60 years.
Writer’s View
Lincoln City’s injury list is concerning, particularly with the absence of Ben House, who has been instrumental this season. However, Skubala’s confidence in his squad depth is well-placed, as demonstrated by Freddie Draper and Bailey Cadamarteri stepping up when needed. The flexibility in their forward line, with all five strikers offering different strengths, gives the Imps an edge despite their injury setbacks.
What remains to be seen is how Lincoln adapt tactically against a Blackpool side managed by the experienced Steve Bruce. While their recent away form is commendable, history shows Bloomfield Road has not been a happy hunting ground for the Imps, and they will need every bit of resilience and creativity if they are to come away with a positive result.
