By Nathan Jackson
January 23 2008

Lincoln City face their two most important games of the season in the next week, both at home and the first at home to a struggling Dagenham and Redbridge side. This game is bigger than MASSIVE. With neither Mansfield or Wrexham in League action at the weekend both sides will know a defeat would probably prove very costly, making this game a true six pointer.

I'm not the type of person to overhype games, but the Dagenham game on Saturday afternoon is arguably the biggest game in this club's recent history. A win would relax the pressure on us at the bottom and mean that we will move 6 points clear of the drop zone before Mansfield's visit on Tuesday night. With 6 games in just 3 weeks the Imps have a huge chance to pull clear and even winning just 3 of those 6 games could inevitably save the Imps from the drop. That target is very achieveable as in that period we face Dagenham, Mansfield, Macclesfield and Accrington.

It's been a strange division so far this season. In any other year our 22 points would virtually guarantee we'd be in the drop zone by now, but instead we're out of it and it shows how poor teams like Wrexham and Mansfield really are. However, you could argue that we are equally as poor due to not taking advantage of Wrexham losing 7 in a row.

Form with the Imps is very dodgy these days. In Jackson's 3 months in charge we have failed to win back to back games. On the 5 occasions we have won, we've subsequently lost the next game, but on two of those occasions we've followed the defeat with a win. City lost their last game, so it could be anyone's guess.

City face no fresh injury worries for the game but welcome back Mark Stallard from a long injury lay off, it is unlikely he'll start and he probably won't even make the bench after near enough 3 whole months off. Dany N'Guessan is also pushing for a starting place after recovering from an injury, but again he will probably start on the bench at best. Frecklington rated as only having a 10% chance of being back for this match.

So given that information it is likely that the Imps will start with Marriott in goal. Ridley and Green providing the left and right back positions respectively with Beevers and Brown in the middle, a partnership which has recieved much criticism as neither of them seem to be able to work well with the other.

With Freck missing from the midfield, we will be lacking major talent in the middle, although with Forrester and Dodds will on the wings. With Scott Kerr and probably Jamie Hand in midfield, you can guarantee that our pass completion rate will be very low indeed through the middle, as their intended passes to Wright and John-Lewis will more than likely go straight to defenders.

Dagenham have quickly found out that there is a HUGE gap between League 2 and the BSP. Like a lot of Conference Champions before them they came up and claimed their wasn't a gap, only to subsequently struggle against relegation. Infact, out of the last 6 BSP Champions, only 1 hasn't struggled against relegation the next year and that was Yeovil.

Dagenham have quickly found out that they shouldn't have under-estimated how difficult this division would be and just two wins at home all season shows exactly why. They have a few players that Imps fans would have heard of. Tony Roberts was the single reason City didn't win convincingly at VP earlier in the season, although he is suspended following a straight red a few weeks back.

Shane Huke played for Peterborough as did Peter Gain, easily the stand out name as far as Imps fans are concerned. The midfielder spent a hefty spell at Sincil Bank before leaving in 2005 after the Playoff Final defeat to Southend. He has spent the last 12/18 months as a fringe player and could only be on the bench for Saturday's game due to a general lack of match fitness.

Dagenham haven't won in 3 games, their last win coming at Bury on Saturday December 29th. Since then they got a mullering at Southend, a narrow defeat at Morecambe and a draw against Grimsby last Saturday, a result which saw both sets of fans claim that they dominated the game and deserved to win.

Their away record is won 3, drawn 2 and lost 8.