Lincoln City boss Chris Cohen says they will have to discuss giving first-team players minutes in the County Cup after Spalding beat Stamford to set up a meeting with the Imps later this year.
The competition has traditionally provided an opportunity for our under-18s, but a larger senior squad raises an interesting selection question. With no EFL Trophy, the fringe players aren’t getting as much of a run out, so could Chris and Tom explore a more senior squad in the County Cup?
“I think we need to probably address it with Jez and Liam and see what direction the club want to go down,” he said in today’s press conference.
“If there’s opportunity for players to get minutes in games that are competitive and we’ve got players that need those minutes, then yeah, we would utilise it normally.”
There is also value in giving the younger players that exposure to senior opposition, as seen when Lee Frecklington got to go toe-to-toe with Gazza back in 2004/05, the last time the Imps won the competition. With Spalding, flying high in the National League North, awaiting us, the decision will involve balancing those development opportunities with the needs of the first-team group.
“If the club decide that it’s more important for the under-18s to get that experience, then that’s fine as well, and we can create games and we can create friendlies like we’re going to do over the international break for players that need minutes.
“So whatever we decide as a club, which route to go down, then you’ll obviously see what happens.”
No decision has been made, then, but senior involvement remains a possibility. However, there have been issues with teams playing local non-league sides in the past, not least against Lincoln Moorlands at the turn of the century, a game which, if I recall, ended in a brawl.
However, it might be nice to win the County Cup, the trophy the Imps were formed to win back in 1884. It’s a competition we have won 38 times, tied with Grimsby, but we haven’t triumphed since 2014, and we’ve lifted it only three times since 2000.
Either way, the planned friendlies during the international break should provide another route to minutes for those who have had fewer opportunities so far.
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