Football Season Guide

Danny Cowley's decision to leave Lincoln early in the previous campaign to take over at Huddersfield did not really work out for anyone, as he was sacked as the manager of the Terriers, while his former side badly struggled after he left. Despite eventually bringing in the highly-rated Michael Appleton, the Imps have managed to show only glimpses of quality under their current manager. One of the main reasons for this is that they did not really have the personnel required to play Appleton's well-known possession-based brand of football and it was therefore hardly a surprise that their boss used the summer to make the squad his own and oversaw what can only be described as a summer clear-out, with numerous players both leaving and going, with the list of departures including regulars Michael Bostwick, Neal Eardley and Cian Bolger. The summer arrivals were obviously hand-picked by Appleton and include players who are well-used to playing the brand of football that he required, such as Conor McGrandles, Liam Bridcutt and Joe Walsh. Despite all the changes, Lincoln's squad looks to be on pretty much the same level as it was a year ago, with the difference that Appleton now has the right men to play the football he wants to play. He will therefore have no excuses if things do not go according to plan.