It’s almost time for our season opener against Exeter City as we enter a new era under Mark Kennedy. As we approach our all-important season opener, I thought I’d put together my predicted Lincoln City team that will come up against Exeter. Before I start the article I’d like you to know as it is normally at the start of any season, I will probably predict this wrong as this game will be the first opportunity to see Mark Kennedy’s favoured personnel and such, but I’ll give it my best shot.
Goalkeeper – Carl Rushworth
For the third season in a row, we will start the first game with a loan goalkeeper in between the sticks as Carl Rushworth will follow Alex Palmer and Josh Griffiths. I think we all expect Mark to pick Rushworth ahead of Jordan Wright, despite the latter impressing at the back-end of next season. Both Palmer and Griffiths were signed late in previous seasons but Rushworth was signed earlier, meaning he has had more time to form friendships and partnerships with the defenders in front of him.
We saw Griffiths make quite a few mistakes in the first few games of the season, mostly due to not having a connection with the defence in front of him, so hopefully, it will be different this season and we can concede as few goals as possible.
Left-Back – Jamie Robson
Onto the first outfield position and it is no surprise that I’ve picked Jamie Robson to start at left-back. Robson arrived late last summer after the sale of Tayo Edun to Blackburn Rovers and he had a stop-start first campaign with the Imps. However, with the departure of Cohen Bramall, Robson should get a massive chance to cement his place in the team. When he came into the side at the end of last season, he looked like he improved and we didn’t suffer from the loss of Bramall like some feared. Robson is more than good enough to be our first choice this season and he will be helped with competition from Sean Roughan keeping him on his toes.
I am looking forward to seeing Roughan in the team this season, but I’d expect Robson to get the nod for the first game of the season.
Central Defenders – Regan Poole & Paudie O’Connor
I’ve picked Regan Poole and Paudie O’Connor to start in the heart of the defence for us on Saturday. Going by Mark Kennedy’s pre-season teams, Poole and O’Connor look to be his favoured choice and it looks to be a very good partnership going forward that will provide some stability at the back that we struggled to have last season at all.
We know what we are going to get with Regan Poole, a fully committed and passionate defender and his performances last year kept us up. He was the difference last year and that’s why he won the AllLincoln Player of the Season and if he carries it on, he could make it two in a row. As for Paudie O’Connor, we have heard from Bradford fans about his commitment and passion, and his leadership skills will be critical going into the season after losing our key leaders under Michael Appleton, Liam Bridcutt and Conor McGrandles.
Right-Back – TJ Eyoma
TJ Eyoma comes into this season as one of our longest-serving players (if you include the loan spells) and he is set to start at right-back on Saturday afternoon. TJ returning to the Bank last year seemed like the perfect signing for us, but it is no secret that he struggled as did the rest of the team. However, last year we were relying on TJ to play centre-half next to Poole, which isn’t his strongest position and that is how Mark Kennedy seems to see it too. In pre-season, Eyoma didn’t play any minutes at centre-half with all of them coming at right-back.
I thought we’d sign a first-team right-back to replace Norton-Cuffy, but it seems as if Mark views Eyoma as his replacement with Jay Benn as the rotation option. Everyone wants Eyoma back to his 20/21 form and this season could be important for him playing back in his favoured position.
Defensive Midfielder – Lasse Sorensen
I’m not entirely sure what system we will play on Saturday, but it looks as if it will be a 4-3-3 from what I’ve seen in pre-season with a number four in midfield and I’ve put Lasse Sorensen in that role. He impressed me against Blackburn and he looked like a completely different footballer to the one that played last season. We still look light in the defensive area of midfield, and hopefully Lasse can use this opportunity to impress and prove that he deserves to play in that role.
Midfielder – Max Sanders & Tashan Oakley-Booth
I’ve lost count of the amount of times I spoke about Max Sanders not playing and the quality he possesses. I feel like this season we might get the Max Sanders we signed, player that was touted as a future Brighton first-team midfielder. He has had some of the highest amount of minutes in pre-season and he looks to be enjoying his football and he complemented the new manager and regime in a post-match press conference after the Grimsby friendly.
It was a close call between Tashan Oakley-Booth and Ted Bishop for this final midfield position, but I gave the former the nod. Oakley-Booth is a player that I have high hopes for this season, with his background and reviews from pundits, he seems a player that will go quietly about his business but he will improve us as a side and he is capable of performing in both a defensive and attacking role in the midfield three, making him very important in a long season.
I am a big fan of Ted Bishop and last season we perhaps didn’t see the best of him due to others being injured and him being used as a utility man. I think he played around seven different positions last year, so he suffered from a lack of momentum as you’d expect. However, he won our signing of the year (remember loan signings are excluded) and this season I’d love to see him push on, especially with that number ten shirt.
Wingers – Charles Vernam & Anthony Scully
I’ll start with my first pick on the wing and our new signing Charles Vernam. He has a point to prove being a Lincolnshire lad and he has already expressed his desire to get involved with the community and such, however he will also be hoping to win over supporters with his actions on the pitch as well as off it. Mark Kennedy also seems to be a big fan of Charles, with him having played a large part in our later pre-season fixtures against Grimsby Town and Blackburn Rovers, so expect him to start tomorrow.
Anthony Scully is the least surprising player in this lineup. He is our biggest goal scoring threat as it stands and it is unlikely that he won’t be the player we rely on for goals, but that is not a worry for me at all, most sides in this league would like to have Anthony Scully as his goal record is incredible and if he can be consistent and stay injury free, he may be looking at a Championship move at the end of the season. If I was to bet on who would score our first goal of the campaign, I would definitely bet on Anthony Scully.
Striker – Tom Hopper
The final player in the side is our captain and one of the first names on the teamsheet for me, Tom Hopper. He now stands as our longest serving player at the football club and he was rewarded with the captaincy yesterday. (I didn’t cover his appointment as the new Lincoln City captain but Gary put together a very good piece on it over on his site if you want to find out more.) For some reason, Hopper is a bit of a marmite player but other managers and players recognise his value and our form last season when he was injured is proof of his importance to the side in my opinion.
Now that he is back to full fitness we will hopefully see the Tom Hopper of 20/21, the one that won countless fouls, helped us defend set pieces, create goals for others and score very important goals in very important games.
That is the side I am expecting tomorrow and as I’m sure you are, I am excited yet nervous for when this new look Lincoln City side step out onto the pitch for the first game under the new manager.
Hopefully, I’ll be writing about a win on Saturday night.