Birmingham City manager Chris Davies believes Lincoln City are a better side than the one his team faced in League One as he prepares for Saturday’s visit to Sincil Bank.
We head into the game looking to build on last weekend’s convincing win over Burnley, a performance the visiting boss has watched as part of his preparations. He’s also watched back their last trip to Sincil Bank, which hinged on a missed penalty from Reeco Hackett which could have levelled the game at 2-2.
Davies’ side faced us three times during their League One campaign, including once in the cup, and expects our intensity and physical presence to make this another demanding afternoon.
“I watched the game back this week,” he told their official media.
“We played them three times when we were in League One, including once in the cup. A lot’s happened since then, but I think they’re similar, to be honest. The manager’s changed, but they were tough, and I was delighted for them to have the season they had the following year when they went up.
“High-intensity runs, aggression, size, physicality, set pieces, honesty and work ethic. They’re going to try to make it really difficult for us.
“I remember on that day we were 2-1 up. Ryan Allsop saved a penalty, then we got to 3-1 and took it away from them. We played well that day in the main, but we’re going to need even more than that because they’re a better team than they were then.”
Our second-half display against Burnley certainly gave Davies something to consider ahead of the trip. He also expects the surroundings at Sincil Bank to play their part, stressing the importance of his side arriving with the right attitude.
“I saw the game and there wasn’t loads in the first half. Burnley had a couple of moments, so did Lincoln, and then they just blew them away in the second half, really. It shows you what it can be like.
“It’s a tight ground. It must be one of the smallest pitches. I don’t know the dimensions exactly, but it’s one of the smallest. The crowd will be on top of you and make it difficult, so we’ve got to turn up with the right attitude to this match.”
Mikkel Ladefoged’s contribution has also caught his attention, with Davies expecting Birmingham to have to compete for every loose ball. Asked about our Danish striker, he acknowledged the options we have in the final third.
“Yes, they’ve got him. They’ve got Draper as well, and House, and they’ve got some decent wingers. The big lad did well, to be honest. Don’t think he was their first choice but he’s come in, done well and got his goals.
“I think they try to use that size and physicality. We can expect a lot of direct balls, diagonal balls, and winning the first, second and third ball, those bouncing balls I always talk to the players about. We’ve got to make sure it’s a blue shirt that’s there first because it’s going to be that type of game.”
There’s plenty in Davies’ assessment that we’d recognise, particularly after the way we imposed ourselves on Burnley after the break. The challenge now is to bring that same energy into another home game and make the afternoon as uncomfortable for Birmingham as their manager expects.
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