Lincoln City’s Under-18s earned a 3-1 victory over Shrewsbury Town in the Youth Alliance North, with goals from Leo Fifield, Donald Inyama and an own goal.
Leo and Donald are both sponsored by Stacey West Patreon members, as is Josh Kennealey, as we triple-lock our commitment to the academy.
Donald was delighted to mark the win with his first goal of the season, as he told the club’s official site.
“I’m really happy to get the win, to work hard for the lads, come out with a good result and get a goal as well. There’s not much more I could’ve asked for.”
Leo’s goal and the own goal were followed by Donald’s close-range finish, with the skipper finding himself in the right place to fire home. He credited the work on the training ground for helping him anticipate where the ball would fall.
“I thought I was fortunate to get in that position but all the practice we’ve been doing during the week leading up to matchday, knowing where to be when the ball does land in the box really does show and to get a goal like that was a great feeling.”
City also had to withstand spells of pressure, with Isaac Rice acknowledging that Shrewsbury’s pace caused problems in transition. Donald felt the young Imps’ determination and work without the ball helped them come through those moments.
“I’m really pleased. I thought we went in with a bit extra, won those 50/50 challenges, I thought we were a bit stronger than them, ran a bit harder than them especially in the recovery runs and I think the result showed who was the better team.”
The win leaves us fourth in the table, with 13 points from six matches and 20 goals scored. Next up is a trip to Blackpool on Saturday, with an overnight stay planned as part of the preparations, and Donald is aiming for another three points.
“Going through the week, we’ll be analysing them, really putting in the hours to get ourselves as prepared as possible for that trip and give us the best possible chance to get three points again.”
EFL Youth Alliance North 2026-27
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wrexham | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 5 | 25 | 19 |
| 2 | Stockport County | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 7 | 13 | 15 |
| 3 | Crewe Alexandra | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 15 | 13 |
| 4 | Lincoln City | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 13 |
| 5 | Burton Albion | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 14 | 11 |
| 6 | Doncaster Rovers | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 14 | 4 | 10 |
| 7 | Walsall | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 10 |
| 8 | Oldham Athletic | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 15 | -2 | 10 |
| 9 | Salford City | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 19 | -8 | 9 |
| 10 | Preston North End | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 8 |
| 11 | Carlisle United | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 8 |
| 12 | Port Vale | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 9 | -2 | 8 |
| 13 | Shrewsbury Town | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 14 | Bradford City | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 7 |
| 15 | Grimsby Town | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 10 | -4 | 6 |
| 16 | Morecambe | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 22 | -14 | 6 |
| 17 | Chesterfield | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 16 | -9 | 5 |
| 18 | Mansfield Town | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 13 | -3 | 4 |
| 19 | Rotherham United | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 18 | -11 | 4 |
| 20 | York City | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 9 | -2 | 3 |
| 21 | Blackpool | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 18 | -7 | 3 |
| 22 | Notts County | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 14 | -10 | 0 |
| 23 | Rochdale | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 23 | -18 | 0 |
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