Lincoln City host Aldershot Town tomorrow in the last game of this season, knowing that anything less than a win could see them drop out of the Football League.
A devastating run of results, which has seen City lose eight out of their last ten games, has meant that the Imps have dropped from mid-table safety into the midst of a relegation battle.
And after the latest defeat at the hands of Oxford United last Saturday, it has now become a straight fight between Lincoln and Barnet to determine which club keeps their precious Football League status.
The Bees are currently two points behind City and face Port Vale at Underhill tomorrow afternoon. They will be buoyed by a recent up-turn in results which has seen them pick up three wins out of their last six fixtures.
Such a points tally has helped the London outfit to claw back a substantial points deficit on the Imps, after they looked dead and buried for much of the campaign.
City go into the clash with Aldershot knowing that a win will guarantee their survival for another year. They will be roared on by a passionate Sincil Bank crowd, with the highest gate of the season expected for the biggest game in recent history.
Anything less than a victory however will mean that supporter’s attentions will turn to events unfolding in the Capital, with a Barnet win assuring the Bees safety in the event of Lincoln failing to notch all three points due to the Imps inferior goal difference.
If City are to pull off the escape from the drop, they will have to do it without a number of first team regulars. Captain Delroy Facey and Mustapha Carayol remain sidelined through long-term injuries and will have to watch their team-mates from the stands.
They will be joined by central defender, Danny Hone, who misses the crucial clash with the Shots through suspension after picking up a red card in Oxfordshire last week. His absence is likely to mean that Cian Hughton will be asked to revert back to the right back position, with Paul Green filling the hole left by Hone at the centre of the defence.
The Imps are likely to be forced to work hard for the victory they so desperately need by an Aldershot side that sit comfortably in mid-table.
The team from Hampshire may feel slightly disappointed with this campaign, after reaching the League Two play-offs last year, but are more than a match for anyone on their day.
The two sides played out an entertaining 2-2 draw when they met in the return fixture at the EBB Stadium, but Lincoln know that such a result may not be good enough for them this time out. If the Imps were ever in need of all three points, it’s now.
