Lincoln City will be without both head coaches, Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw, in the dugout for tonight’s Championship clash with Watford after the pair accumulated three yellow cards each.
The suspensions follow Saturday’s controversial 3-1 defeat against Birmingham City at the Bank, during which both coaches were cautioned by referee Lewis Smith. Shaw was shown a yellow card during the first half after protesting the decision not to dismiss Ethan Laird following a high challenge that caught Ben House in the face. The Birmingham defender was only booked, despite House requiring lengthy treatment, and the incident prompted an angry reaction from the home bench.
Cohen was subsequently cautioned after the final whistle, taking his own tally to three bookings and leaving City without either head coach on the touchline at Vicarage Road. BBC Sport Lincolnshire confirmed the suspensions ahead of kick-off, with the pair forced to watch from elsewhere rather than occupy their usual places in the technical area.
Speaking after the Birmingham defeat, Chris acknowledged that both coaches needed to manage their emotions better, particularly when asking their players to demonstrate discipline during matches.
“They’ve got an incredibly difficult job. There’s always a lot of emotion around this sport. That’s why everyone loves it so much.
“We shouldn’t be picking up as many bookings as we have. We ask the players to not get too emotional, and both of us have picked up another booking. We’ve got to make sure that we check ourselves with that stuff.
“I understand the difficulty of the ref’s job, and I’m sure they understand the difficulty of being head coaches in the Championship.”
The suspensions come at an awkward time for City, who are looking to respond to consecutive defeats against Birmingham and hoping to secure their first win at Vicarage Road since 1974.
There are also five changes to the starting XI, with Bayliss, Callum Elder, Chiedozie Ogbene, Daniel Oyegoke and Freddie Draper all coming into the side. With both head coaches absent from the dugout, the Imps face an unusual challenge as they attempt to return to winning ways against the Hornets.
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