Lincoln’s caretaker manager Jamie McCombe said he is taking the job one day at a time and is currently focusing on preparing his players for Tuesday’s trip to Rochdale.
McCombe’s first match in charge, and the Imps’ first without the Cowley brothers at the helm, ended in a 1-0 home defeat against Bristol Rovers on Saturday. The Imps sit seventh in League One ahead of the trip to Rochdale, who were hammered 6-0 at Peterborough in their last match.
McCombe and Andy Warrington are currently in charge of first team affairs at Lincoln with support from Jez George, the club’s Head of Football.
In a press conference on Monday, McCombe said: “I’m just focusing on the job in hand. The task I’ve been given is to prepare the players the very best they can be for the game, so that’s what the sole focus has been on.
“I’m doing the job I’ve been asked to do. I’m in regular dialogue with Liam Scully and Jez George and as far as I’m aware I’m taking the game on Tuesday and we’re going to take it one day at a time.”
Lincoln have lost six of their last seven matches in all competitions, but McCombe still firmly believes in the club.
He added: “We still believe in what we’re doing, we still believe in the process, we still prepare exactly same way as we always have.”
“It’s hard work, but I’m not scared of a challenge and ultimately the job I’ve been asked to do by the football club is one that I feel very passionate about.”
Manager latest
At the time of writing, Sky Bet had suspended betting on the possibility of Newport manager Michael Flynn getting the job at Sincil Bank.
Wycombe boss and former Imps’ player Gareth Ainsworth is 5/2 to get the job. According to Mail Online he turned down Lincoln’s initial offer to take over.
He was reportedly given a formal offer to take the job over the weekend, but rejected it after failing to agree terms. It is understood Lincoln have since entered fresh talks with him, although this has not been confirmed.
Ainsworth previously said he was happy at Wycombe, but also acknowledged to The Totally Football Show that “I want a club that has ambitions to play in the Championship, to be as high as they possibly can. I know Lincoln City have got that ambition.”
Michael Appleton and Phil Parkinson are 6/1 and 12/1 respectively to get the job according to Sky Bet, while Exeter’s Matt Taylor has now appeared among the list of candidates at 14/1.
Exeter confirmed on Monday that Taylor has turned down an approach from an unnamed club to speak with him. Although the club is unnamed there is some suggestion in the media that it was Lincoln.
Meanwhile, Danny and Nicky Cowley endured a tough start to life is the managerial hotseat at Huddersfield after their first match in charge ended in a 2-0 home defeat against Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday.
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Can you help us identify the woman in these CCTV images?
We are appealing for help to identify the woman shown in these CCTV images following a theft that occurred on Wednesday 22 June in Grimsby.
A 92-year-old woman was walking through Freshney Place Shopping centre, Grimsby when it is believed that her purse was taken from her shopping trolley.
The woman in these images we believe may be able to assist with our investigations and we would ask anyone who believes they recognise her to please contact us on our non-emergency 101 line quoting log 246 of 23 June.
A retired fire engine that used to operate in Grimsby was used in Ukraine to help combat a missile attack on a shopping centre, which the G7 has described as a ‘war crime’ by Russia.
On Monday, footage emerged of a missile striking a shopping centre in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky claiming is is evidence of a deliberate attack by Russia.
At least 20 people were killed and around 56 were injured following the incident, with G7 leaders saying the attack is considered a war crime. More than 1,000 people were inside the building when it was hit by the missile.
A familiar looking fire engine can be seen in video footage of the blaze shared across news outlets and social media platforms, in the form of an old Humberside Fire & Rescue vehicle.
Large shopping mall in Kremenchuk with hundreds of civilians inside has been hit by a Russian strike. Russia is a disgrace to humanity and it must face consequences. The response should be more heavy arms for Ukraine, more sanctions on Russia, and more businesses leaving Russia. pic.twitter.com/Uvi6fbyShK
The fire engine used to operate here in North East Lincolnshire, covering Grimsby and Immingham, and it is one of many vehicles sent out by Humberside Fire & Rescue to various countries across Europe in recent years.
Fire Aid recently sent a convoy of around 75 vehicles, equipment and clothing to Ukraine to help provide resources for recovery.
At least 20 people were killed in the incident. | Photo: BBC Look North
Area manager Matthew Sutcliffe told BBC Look North: “We’ve sent a number of fire engines since 2015 over there. These are end of life fire engines for us in Humberside, so we share them across Eastern Europe where we can.
“It’s an absolute tragedy what we saw yesterday. Firefighters there were using one of our old fire engines to protect the property but also save lives.”
"Absolute terrorism" – says @ZelenskyyUa and publishes a video of a deliberate missile strike on the Kremenchuk shopping center with people inside. Russian propaganda always lies: there is no coincidence, it is a deliberate blow to intimidate the population and mass victims. pic.twitter.com/Gx1f90cMta
During a regular nightly address to the nation on Monday, president Zelensky said: “The Russian missile hit this very object, purposefully. Obviously, that was the order. It is obvious that Russian assassins received such coordinates for this missile.
“They wanted to kill as many people as possible in a peaceful city, in a regular shopping mall.”