Ryley Towler Reveals The Lincoln City Player He’d Hate To Play Against

Ryley Towler lines up against some familiar faces this weekend in Portsmouth, but he’s revealed the Lincoln City player he’d least like to face.

Only three Imps remain from the squad that faced Portsmouth on the final day of the 2023/24 season: Ben House, Freddie Draper and Adam Jackson. Freddie and Ben are likely to play, and their high-tempo, energetic and aggressive style is sure to upset some defenders over the next 45 games.

However, they are players Towler faces every day in training, and while he admits he wouldn’t want to face any of our attackers, there is one he’d hate to play against properly.

“Everyone’s aggressive and everyone loves it,” said Towler in yesterday’s press conference.

“Freddie (Draper), I wouldn’t want to play against him. The way he moves his body- you saw it with the goal on Saturday and the build-up, the header he made. He makes it so hard for defenders.

“I wouldn’t want to play against him, but everyone’s got their own way. Whether it’s running in behind or making it hard for you, I wouldn’t want to play against any of them.”

While three players remain from the Imps squad who played in 2024, Conor Shaughnessy, Abu Kamara, Tom Devlin and Colby Bishop remain for Pompey, who could also feature former Imp Regan Poole, injured for that final game of the season.

Reeco Hackett is another player likely to face a former side; he too was injured for the last fixture, but will play a role tomorrow, while Towler and Shaughnessy are the only ones who completed 90 minutes two years ago and could play a role tomorrow.

Towler has now completed 50 matches for the Imps, 40 in League One last season, with nine cup matches and the opening-day Championship encounter with Middlesbrough. That takes him past the 45 appearances he made for Pompey, with that appearance against us at the Bank being one of only two full 90 minutes he got that season.

Curiously, we were also the only team he faced twice during the 2023/24 season, as he came on as a late sub for Joe Morrell in the 2-1 defeat in September 2023.