August 27, 2021 10.06 am This story is over 31 months old

Lincoln City injury crisis as just 13 players available for Oxford game

There’s also been a positive COVID-19 test in the squad

By Local Democracy Reporter

Lincoln City are in the midst of a team selection crisis, as injuries and a positive COVID-19 test leave the Imps at barebones ahead of their League One match with Oxford United this weekend.

Max Melbourne has tested positive for COVID-19 so will be isolating, and Southampton loanee Dan N’lundulu is having a scan on a hamstring injury, leaving yet more players unavailable for Michael Appleton’s side.

Joe Walsh, Max Sanders and Chris Maguire, yet to feature this season, are still out injured, while Tom Hopper is recovering from the head injury he sustained against Wycombe last weekend.

However, in more positive news, top scorer Anthony Scully, who went off limping with a bit of a knock against Manchester United under 21s on Tuesday, should be fit for the Oxford match.

At his press conference ahead of the game with Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday, Imps boss Appleton confirmed that the club only have 13 fit players available, a worrying statistic given clubs are allowed to name an 18-man squad for matchdays.

“The best way I can describe it is that we have 13 senior outfield players to choose from, not many at all”, Appleton told BBC Radio Lincolnshire on Thursday morning.

The long injury list could just force Appleton’s hand and make the club dip into the transfer market before the window closes on Tuesday, August 31.

It is a bitter blow for Lincoln, particularly after their fixture with Rotherham United was rescheduled due to the visitors having multiple players called up for international duty, but not as many as Lincoln have unavailable at the moment.

You can listen back to Michael Appleton’s press conference on the football club’s YouTube channel.

A potential lineup for Saturday’s game with Oxford could be: Griffiths, Poole, Eyoma, Jackson, Bramall, Bridcutt, Bishop, McGrandles, Longdon, Adelakun, Scully