Improving vs Consistent at Sincil Bank

Lincoln City will face Bury on Tuesday night in what could be one of the more interesting games of the season. City are certainly improving under Tilson but a game against Bury will be the hardest game in his reign so far given that the Shakers have won 19 points from their 8 away games this season.

City's recent improvement comes under a severe test on Tuesday night with arguably the most difficult test of the season, Bury at home. Now, it may not seem like the most daunting fixture of the year (not offence intended) but the Shakers are on an extremely good run on the road, winning 6 of their 8 away games this season, totalling an impressive 19 points along the way. They haven't lost an away game since September 11th, infact they have won every single away game since then.

The Imps have been improving recently and Saturday's 3-1 win over Hereford has been rated by the majority of the fans as the best performance City have made this season, granted that's not saying much but just one defeat since Tilson took over tells it's own story, however, City have a terrible record on Tuesday night games in recent years at Sincil Bank. The last time City recorded a win at Sincil Bank on a Tuesday was in February, but you'd have to go back to October 2008 to a 2-0 win over Gillingham to see City record a win under the Sincil Bank floodlights on a Tuesday......ironically that is also the game that saw City record four wins in a row, something that the Imps could replicate.

This game could go a long way to deciding how the season will go for the Imps, a defeat would undo the hard work of the last few weeks, whereas a win could see the Imps climb into the top half, that despite being a bit rubbish during the season so far. 

Moses Swaibu returns from injury and he will be in line for a return, although he will probably have to settle for a place on the bench as it is unlikely that Tilson will change a winning side.

THE LIKELY CITY STARTING XI
	Didn't cover himself in glory by not pouncing on his parry that lead to a Hereford goal, but fortunately for him it didn't cost the Imps.
	Mr Clapham adds that added experience that the squad desperately needs and that experience could be one of the key factors about where City spend most of their season.
	Due to play his last game at Sincil Bank for the Imps, that is assuming that it doesn't get extended. Gowling has arguably been the best of the four Tilson loanee and much like Clapham, his experience is vital.
	Watts had a goal disallowed against Hereford and generally had a quiet game against Hereford, however, Bury's strikers are a far, far different prospect
	Another who is set to play his final game at Sincil Bank unless his loan spell gets extended. He's the player that Cian Hughton could be if he could be defend, and whilst Hoyte is at the club, Hughton won't play.
	One of the unsung heroes of recent weeks, Kerr is playing his best football since the early days of the Schofield and Deehan partnership.
	Provided some brilliant crosses into the box on Saturday, if only more of them connected with the attacker he's aiming for then City would score four or five every game.
	Josh O'Keefe is one of a number of players who has got considerably better since Sutton left. Although he's still not brilliant, he is getting better.
	The best player on the pitch on Saturday, providing one and scoring the other. He is yet another player who has improved immensely since Sutton left.
	It only took eleven months but Delroy has finally doubled his tally of Lincoln City goals. Deserving of another start, especially as the only other option appears to be Drewe Broughton.
	Talk about turning around fan opinions, booed against Nuneaton, standing ovation against Hereford. He seems to be enjoying his football recently and that can only be a good thing.

City and Bury have played each other every year since October 2001. The clubs met in the FA Cup that year as only a last minute Steve Holmes goal got City a replay, a replay that they won on penalties. If I was to go through all the games since then individually then I'd be typing for quite some time, so I'm simply going to mention trends.

Both sides made the Playoffs in 2002/3, ironically City and Bury were the only sides to win at Bournemouth that year and Bournemoutn gained revenge on both, beating Bury in the semi-finals before easily beating City in the final. City went on a good run against Bury by winning on three occasions in a row, the last of the three being on New Year's Day 2005 when Craig Westcarr scored his one and only City goal on his debut, that was City's final win against Bury until April last season, when Davide Somma's goal secured City's Football League status.

Up until then City had endured a torrid time against Bury. The run of nine games without beating Bury started with a 1-1 draw at Gigg Lane in October 2006. City dominated the game and scored just before half time when Dean Keates blasted in a free kick from 40 yards.....that before Bury's last minute equaliser. Since then most of the games have been low scoring affairs, with six of the last ten meetings being draws.

Bury currently have two ex-Imps on their books, Ben Futcher (currently on loan at Oxford) and Lenell John-Lewis, how the latter ever convinced another Football League club to give him a contract is anyone's guess. Bury also offered Shane Clarke a trial earlier in the season, although given that he has been released by Gateshead and now signed for Conference North Boston, tells it's own story about Bury making the right decision not to sign him.

Imps legend Paul Morgan used to play for Bury and was one of the former Imps that went to Gigg Lane during Keith Alexander's time as Director of Football (an ironic position for someone who was famed at this level for hoofball). Former Imps assistant manager Gary Simpson was also a coach at Gigg Lane, and former Imps Marcus Richardson, Simon Yeo and Adrian Littlejohn also all played for both during the last ten years.

Bury are currently chasing promotion for the third season in a row. Two seasons ago it was only conceding a last minute goal in the Playoff Semi Final Second Leg that denied them a trip to Wembley, last year saw them denied by a very bad run towards the end of the season. In recent seasons, no-one has come as close to winning promotion on a consistent basis without winning it, something City fans are very familiar with.

Their seasons didn't star brilliantly with only one win in their first four games, coming away at Oxford. Home form stuttered and they seemed set for a midtable year when they lost 3-0 at a distinctively average Crewe side, however, since then they have won every single match on the road, including 2-0 at Cheltenham, 4-1 at Morecambe, 4-3 at Troquay, 3-1 at Aldershot and Friday night's 3-1 win over Burton. The home form is what is letting them down though, esulting in them playing four home games in 11 days earlier this month, winning just once.

They have won just two of the last fixtures, leaving the other three, but their immense away form, the best in the division by a country mile, they currently sit third in the division, a point clear off of fourth places Rotherham and six above 8th placed Macclesfield.

Their squad is a decent one, with the exception of John-Lewis. They have an excellent strike force, with Ryan Lowe being the main man in front of goals, with Bishop, Ajose and Carlton backing him up. The evergreen Efe Sodje continues to pester at both ends of the pitch. It's a squad that, on paper, looks good enough to win promotion.