Lincoln City look to continue their promotion charge when they face Crewe Alexandra at Sincil Bank

Two straight defeats have seen the Imps slump down to third, but can they turn their form around when mid-table Crewe Alexandra come to visit Sincil Bank?

Having two games in hand on second-placed Hull City is vital for Michael Appleton’s side as they look to retain their place in the automatic promotion places.

Teams below Lincoln are starting to close up on them as Sunderland, Portsmouth and Doncaster Rovers are within five points of the Imps with Donny having two games in hand on Lincolnshire side.

After a seven-goal thriller at the weekend, that saw Appleton’s side defeated 4-3 by Plymouth Argyle, they went into the midweek fixture needing to bounce back and get back to winning ways against Fleetwood Town.

Gerard Garner’s goal two minutes before half-time saw Simon Grayson’s men head into the interval with a one-goal lead.

In the 53rd minute, Callum Camps added a second for the Cod Army as the Lincoln side look disjointed and were not able to carve any real threats with the hosts only having three shots on target.

Callum Morton was able to get one back in the 71st minute as the Imps looked to make their way back into the match but were unable to do so and fell to a 2-1 defeat.

A mid-table encounter for Crewe Alexandra saw them face Neil Critchley’s Blackpool at Bloomfield Road, with only a point separating the two sides at kick-off.

The Tangerines took the lead four minutes before half-time. Daniel Ballard’s goal enabled the Seasiders to head into the break with a one-goal advantage.

Stephen Walker scored four minutes before the end of normal time in the second-half and the points were separated between the two sides.

That result left the Alex in 11th after 32 games played with Critchley’s men in 13th place with four games in hand on David Artell’s men.

In the reverse fixture between the two sides, Harry Anderson’s goal handed the Imps a valuable three points at Gresty Road which also saw them win their third consecutive match at the time.

The Alex, in their last five matches at Sincil Bank, have only managed one win with the victory coming all the way back in February 2018. Crewe were victorious 4-1 on that day as a second-half dismantling saw Artell’s men get over the line.

The Chesire outfit will look for an away win, which they haven’t achieved since February 2nd, as they look for a late Play-Off push with only five points separating them and seventh-placed Ipswich Town.

A victory for Lincoln would be the first in three matches and may even see them jump ahead of Hull City with the Tigers facing Bristol Rovers at the KCOM Stadium.

With the two sides having two different aims for the remainder of the season, this could turn out to be a fantastic fixture with the determination and grit shown by League One teams this campaign and certainly this one won’t disappoint.

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