Lincoln City have received a boost to their dwindling play-off hopes following the news that striker Bailey Cadamarteri is closing in on a return to action.
The 19-year-old joined the Imps on a season-long loan last summer from Sheffield Wednesday and has enjoyed a successful campaign thus far. He is the club’s top scorer in all competitions with eight goals in all competitions but has recently had to spend time on the sidelines after he picked up an adductor injury in training.
Despite Cadamarteri’s reasonable goal tally, Lincoln are a team that have struggled in front of goal in recent months. They have slipped to 10 points behind the play-off places, although head coach Michael Skubala did opt to bring in the experienced James Collins in January.
The former Derby County man has hit the ground running, scoring three times in five appearances. However, the return of the Owls youngster will further bolster their attacking options.
Cadamarteri Targeting Return
The initial prognosis of Cadamarteri’s injury was that he would miss six weeks of action. He returned to Sheffield Wednesday for assessment last month but is set to return to Lincoln as he steps up his recovery.
According to The Star, the England youth international is still well on course to return to the squad on schedule. It is said that further scans were conducted last week, revealing that he is making ‘good progress’.
He will miss tonight’s trip to local rivals Mansfield Town and is not expected to be fit in time for Saturday’s visit of relegation-threatened Burton Albion. However, Lincoln are set to visit Oakwell to take on Barnsley on March 1st, a game in which the striker could make his return.
Writer’s View
This is a huge boost for Lincoln, who have hit a bit of an injury crisis in recent weeks. First team stars such as Ethan Erhahon and Jack Moylan have also joined Cadamarteri on the treatment table, so to have the latter return to the fold is welcome news for Michael Skubala. Although their play-off hopes are fading fast, the Imps still won’t have given up hope. They do need to start converting their chances though, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Sheffield Wednesday loanee partner James Collins at the top of the pitch during the final stages of the season.
