After falling to a 2-1 defeat at Mansfield Town and a penalty shootout loss to Scunthorpe in their previous group games, anything other than victory will see Rob Edwards’ side’s hopes of progressing through to the next round over – and even then, a win still might not be enough.
The home side will be a tough nut to crack as they lie top of League Two with 11 wins from their 17 matches this season. But the young Wolves team are no strangers to being number one in the table, with the under-23s – of whom most of the under-21 squad represent – currently in first place of Premier League 2 Division 2.
WHEN
Tuesday 7.45pm
WHERE
Sincil Bank, Lincoln
LAST THREE
Wolves (under-23s)
2-2 v Stoke City (A)
2-1 v Manchester United (H)
2-3 v Southampton (A)
Lincoln
2-1 v Forest Green Rovers (H)
0-1 v Colchester United (A)
2-2 v Carlisle United (H)
WHAT THE BOSS THINKS
On qualifying hopes
I want the players to leave it all out there. We’ve got nothing to lose, we know we have to win to stand any chance of getting through to the next round, but I want them to enjoy the occasion. Stranger things have happened.
We’ve got to do our job, which we know will be very tough, and then we need Mansfield to beat Scunthorpe. Mansfield have won both their games in the group, so it can be done, but we’ve got to take care of our own job first.
On Lincoln
They’ve got a really good squad. The Cowley brothers have done extremely well over the last few years, they’ve built up a really good reputation and have been very successful. They won this competition last year and are top of the League Two table at the moment, in great form, so they’ll be confident.
We know it’s going to be difficult, we’re not saying we’re going to turn up there and win, but we believe we can if we perform to our absolute best.
On Checkatrade Trophy
Lincoln is going to be a real test, but this is what the competition is all about. It’s about trying to give younger players the experience of playing against these experienced players, at stadiums, and we’ve got to look forwards to it.
NEXT FIVE (under-23s)
10/11 Swansea City (H) PLC
26/11 Aston Villa (H)
3/12 Oxford United (A) PLC
10/12 Sunderland (A)
14/12 Fulham (H)
