Lincoln City have received a huge boost ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Burton Albion after it was confirmed that midfielder Tom Bayliss is available to play.
The 26-year-old has started all seven of the Imps League One games this season and scored in the 3-2 win over Plymouth Argyle last month. He once again took his place in the centre of midfield for last weekend’s clash with Wigan Athletic at the LNER Stadium, but was on the receiving end of a horror tackle from attacker Christian Saydee.
The incident happened right in front of the Wigan bench and after consulting the fourth official, the referee branded a straight red card. This prompted a furious response from Latics boss Ryan Lowe, who has since admitted it was the right decision.
Bayliss received lengthy treatment afterwards before returning to the field. However, he lasted just a few minutes before succumbing to the pain. As a result, there were fears that the ex-Shrewsbury Town man could be set for a spell on the sidelines.
Skubala Reveal Bayliss Boost
Lincoln travel to Staffordshire hoping to extend their eight game unbeaten run in all competitions. They have already beaten Burton on their own patch this season when a Ben House goal was enough to separate the two teams in the Carabao Cup second round.
Skubala already has defender Ryley Towler and attacker Rob Street missing through suspension, but has confirmed that Bayliss is fit to play. Speaking to the media ahead of the trip, the head coach said:
“Tom Bayliss has come through that tackle. He’s been training all week, which is great news because when you saw that the weekend, you don’t know how that’s going to end, but he’s done really well. So, yeah, he’s good to go as well. So, that’s great news.”
Writer’s View
This is fantastic news for Lincoln who could ill-afford another injury layoff to one of their key players. They already have Jack Moylan and Dom Jefferies in the treatment room, whilst new signings Dexter Lembikisa, Ivan Varfolomeev and Justin Obikwu are all only likely to be fit enough for a place amongst the substitutes following their international exploits. Bayliss deputised in a deeper midfield role last weekend against a tough Wigan side and is now likely to continue his pairing in the centre of the park with Conor McGrandles at Burton tomorrow.
