The Fixtures Are Out And There’s Big News

June 26, 2024 Gary Lincoln City 0

The fixtures are out, and there’s big news – the Imps play everyone twice, home and away, this season!

I jest of course, I’m not trying to be achingly cool and pretend I’m not excited. For me, this is the day where the 2023/24 season becomes ‘last season’ and 24/25 becomes ‘this season’. I was hoping for a home game first, because I’m at a wedding on the second weekend, so will miss the first home game. Balls. Hopefully, we’ll get a home draw in the League Cup, or I get better friends who get married during the summer.

I think we have a decent opening few matches. Many are what you’d consider to be ‘winnable’ – Burton, Mansfield, Stevenage, Cambridge and Northampton – they’re the teams we will be hoping to be above at the end of the season. Posh away is a challenge, but it might be a good time to play Barnsley as they seek to form cohesion under a new manager. I think the opening two months have been kind to us.

Christmas looks tough – Bolton away and Rotherham at home are back-to-back, but sandwiched between Shrewsbury and Stevenage, two games you’d like to see us take six points from. Curiously, it’s only one game at home between Christmas day and New Year’s Day, contrasting to last season, so Fe will be happy.

October is stacked with games; it’ll be Saturday / Tuesday doubtless, but welcoming Birmingham early on in their League One adventure is a treat. Easter isn’t a treat – Reading away and Bolton at home, but hopefully, we’ll be up by then anyway…..

Credit Graham Burrell

I quite like the look of Charlton and Orient on a Saturday, finally a game or two we can go to on Andy’s Bus in London, but Blackpool on a Tuesday night in October is about as welcoming as a sock full of stones around the back of the head. The same goes for Rotherham away and, sadly, Huddersfield at home is also a Tuesday, although that will be some occasion under the lights (I’m thinking Derby from 22/23 or Charlton from last season).

What I would say is while these all look decent, I’d envisage a good 10% or more won’t be played on the day they’re currently scheduled, which is worth keeping an eye on. Some games might be moved for TV, others shifted for different reasons, so don’t go booking the hotels just yet.

However, 24/25 is now upon us. This is it…..

Up The Imps!