FL2: Lincoln City v Torquay United 24th Oct 2009

Could well be a couple of changes to that if we sign who we are after. Sergio Torres has just left Lincoln and could well be joining us on loan this week so that could be interesting. George Donnelly from Argyle is the other likely signing, would have preferred Ashley Barnes but will see what happens.

I see that Lincoln havent drawn a game yet......

Yes I'll go along with that although I might think about putting Wayno in instead of Thompson or maybe even Nicky Wroe, as he is an excellent performer away from home. I have to confess I don't know what system Chris Sutton uses.

I've only been to Sincil Bank once. It was the 3-1 win during the promotion season. I froze after 30 minutes and the sausage roll and two strong bovril combination just about got me to Marks and Spencer's after the game to buy a pair of gloves before frostbite set in. A bitterly cold day. A 45 minute wait at Newark North Gate waiting for a half broken Eurostar train on loan to GNER followed and the feeling returned to my hands by about midnight.

I think I'll drive up on Saturday. Does anyone know of anything interesting to visit on the way?

I'd go with Fonda's team if there are no incomers by then. Torres would go in for Thompson and Zebroski for Benyon if there is anything in any of the rumours.

Incidentally, if either Torres or Danny Mills go to Lincoln by the end of the week - They will score.

Before the start of the season I'd marked a few possible games as a 'must-visit' for this season. Lincoln was one of them. However I managed to miss this one, instead I've arranged a trip in november including the Liverpool-Man City, Man Utd-Everton and Bolton-Blackburn games.

I would have happily swapped that weekend for a trip to Lincoln this weekend, but I've already make some costs for that other weekend. Hopefully both teams ply their trade in L2 next season so I can do Lincoln by then...

Haven't got a clue about which formation and players. I only hope that they can perform for 90 minutes instead of the 'normal' 45 minutes as we've seen far too many times recently.

I note, that as it stands at present, with only seventeen in the squad, we won't fill the bench for the first time this season!

It can be taken as read that Halpin, Todd and Bevan won't start. Up front it will generally be a toss up between Benyon and Rendell. The final two places will be determined by formation: 3-5-2 and Stevens and Carlisle sit out. 4-4-2 and Thompson and possibly Charnock (not my choice) sits out. There is a small possibility of the 3-4-1-2 formation of the Southampton match being employed with this being a variance of the 3-5-2 with the difference being Rendell sitting in the hole at the expense of Thompson in central midfield.

My gut feeling is that for an away match, the 3-5-2 team advocated by Fonda would be the best choice but this is without any prior knowledge of the Lincoln team.

Do they still use that air raid siren?
a few years back we were treated to that droning on with the locals stretching out their arms.

I can feel a win in my water........lets hope the gulls are the ones dropping the bombs.

buster

I think the fact that we will be unable to "fill the bench" on Saturday reflects not so much on the current shortage of numbers in the squad as on the ridiculous necessity to have seven players sitting there, most of whom are idle for week after week. No wonder players like Adams, Brough and Hodges were happy to get away.

Substitutes were first introduced in the mid sixties after several FA Cup Finals had been marred by injuries to full backs. At first, a change could only be made if the outgoing player was injured. However, human nature being what it is, cheating in the form of pretence of injury soon set in and after that one player could be replaced for a tactical reason.

In the modern era, substitutes have been sent on for the purpose of "killing" a game, wasting time near the end of a game, or even to give "fringe" players a "run-out".

Substitutions have now become embedded in the culture of the modern game to the extent that we now talk about squads when we once referred to the players as teams.

But one has become two, then three, five and now seven. Why ? Why should we need more than three - goalkeeper and two outfield players ?

Let's face it, of the seven players on the "bench" on Saturday, it is pretty clear that Bevan, Todd and the two lads will not be required to take part, so what on earth would it matter if some of the seats on the touchline were unoccupied ?

Some may call this a naive view, and believe that the introduction of other players will drastically change the emphasis on tactics. That may be true in the Premier League, but in League Two it makes little or no difference as all the players are of the same mediocre quality.

Why ? Because there are four players sitting on benches in higher divisions who would make a big difference to teams lower down the structure instead of sitting there longing for a game.