Both of Lincoln City’s rivals for a top-two spot have been dealt a blow this morning, as snow blankets the UK.
I appreciate in the grand scheme of things, ruling out Bolton, Stockport, Luton, Huddersfield and others is a little hasty, but as the table stands right now, Cardiff City and Bradford City make up the tale of three cities vying for two automatic promotion spots.
Both of those sides have been dealt a blow this morning, one more severe than the other.
Bradford game gone
Bradford City were due to host Rotherham United today, and on paper, it looked like a big game for them. Their next three fixtures, after the Millers, are Cardiff at Valley Parade, then trips to Huddersfield and Sincil Bank. Three games that will go some way to defining them as play-off hopefuls, or the real deal for a top two spot.
Given that, they could have done with facing Rotherham, currently adding to their squad, but are on a run of awful form. Since beating us 3-0, a game which extended their unbeaten run to 13, they have won just one in ten, and that was in the EFL Trophy at Salford. They’ve lost six League One games in a row and have tumbled to 22nd.
Will they be as bad come mid-March, after strengthening in the window? Nobody knows, but right now would have been a great time to play them. However, that game has been called off, meaning we’ll definitely go to Luton Town a week today in second place.
Cardiff transfer embargo
Losing a game you could have won against a rubbish team is a hiccup, but Cardiff City have done worse. They’ve been slapped with a transfer embargo after failing to submit their accounts to the EFL ahead of the deadline. Under EFL rules, every club must submit to the league their annual accounts for the financial year 2024/25 by December 31, and they have not done that. Until it is resolved, they cannot sign new players.
They’re not expected to be huge movers in the transfer window, but they have been shipping some out with a view to tweaking the squad. They can’t do that now, and although they expect the situation to be resolved before the end of next week, it does give them a minor disadvantage in the coming days. Who knows, they may have been denied the chance to sign a player before they meet Bradford next weekend, and that could cost them.
Settle in for a smooth Saturday
It all means a relatively easy Saturday for us. Cardiff play Leyton Orient, their game in hand over us, so they could extend their lead at the top of the table. Below, nobody will overtake us, and one of Stockport or Huddersfield will drop points, as they play today. Bolton face a tricky test at Peterborough, while Luton face Stevenage in another game that will cost one of the chasing pack points.
By the end of the day, Luton, Stockport and Bolton will all be on the same games as us, and the closest any of them can be is six points shy. Huddersfield will have played a game more, and two of their three league fixtures after today are against Luton and Bradford.
It’s all getting interesting!
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