Former Wrexham Midfielder Lee Fowler Exclusively Talks To Thefootballblog14

Lee Fowler, who has played for several Clubs including Coventry, Huddersfield, Wrexham and Kidderminster. 

Following yesterday’s departure of Wrexham manager Gary Mills, Fowler talks to thefootballblog14, giving us his thoughts after his sacking. 

After yesterdays sacking of Gary Mills, do you think his time was up?

Never nice any manger getting the sack, including Gary. He’s a nice man but it came to the point where there was fairy tail was ending so the correct decision was made. 

With Joey Jones, Andy Davies and Dean Keates taking over team affairs, do you think they could perhaps get a permanent deal?

Not Andy and Joey as they have the youth team but Keatsy can only put himself in the shop window, results will dictate that. 

Would you ever be open to a managerial role in the future?

Think mangerial role very premature and coaching would have to be with someone I know, trust and get on with, happy with my job. 

 If you had to pick any other manager, who else would you like to see get the job?
Dean Saunders, Darlo Craig Harrison and Keatsy or the Lincoln managers (Danny Cowley). 

Getting to Know: Torquay United

Ahead of this weekends clash between Lincoln City and Torquay, which is also being shown on BT Sport, I talk to Sky Sports writer Andy Charles ahead of the encounter. 

After a steady start to the new season, how would you sum up Torquay’s campaign so far?

Ten days ago I was thinking the worst after away defeats by Sutton (absolutely horrific performance) and North Ferriby (better but no luck in front of goal). Since then we’ve beaten Dover 2-1 and Braintree 3-1 and things, in general, are looking up again. At least we have started scoring goals after only managing two in our first five games.

Since Nicholson became manager, he’s done a good job in recruitment. Could you run through any players who will be crucial for this season?

I wasn’t a great fan of him becoming manager last season, and contacts were one of my reasons for that, but he definitely proved me wrong and has continued to in 2016-17. The recent signing of Giancarlo Gallifuoco, who can play at centre-back and in midfield, could be significant, and I’ve always been a big fan of left-winger Dan Sparkes, who the Cowleys know well from Braintree. I wonder whether they wanted him to follow them to Lincoln along with a few others? And there have been rave reviews for West Brom loanee Joe Ward from his first two full games, both of which have ended in victory. He’s hard nosed by all accounts and I look forward to my first look at him. From last season’s signings Nathan Blissett was key and he just needs a goal to kick off his season.

Going into tomorrow’s game, are you expecting a tough test?

Absolutely. I would say it’s by far our toughest game of the season so far but at least we are playing the Imps on the back of a couple of wins and I’ll be interested to see how we deal with big Matt Rhead. I’ve followed Danny Cowley since his days at Concord Rangers (I also watch Hampton & Richmond a lot as they are my local team) and he always impressed me lower down the leagues.

As you said briefly that you know the Cowleys from there Concord days, does it surprise you that they’ve managed to go full time?

A little bit because they both had steady jobs in education, but I could always see when he was at Concord that there was ambition there. He took them up and then managed to improve on the job Alan Devonshire had done at Braintree. Just got the feeling, maybe only over the last 12 months, that he realised he had the ability to be a full-time manager and he’s got a great chance to move into the EFL now at Lincoln.

Score prediction ahead of tomorrow’s game?

Ah, the toughest of questions. Couple of weeks ago I might well have said 0-3 but I’m feeling much more confident now even though our TV form isn’t great. An exciting 2-2 draw for me.

Ex Lincoln City Forward Kris Bright On Signing For Linfield And His Time In England

Kris Bright exclusively speaks to thefootballblog14 on signing for Linfield FC and looks back on his time in England. 

Signing for Linfield FC now means that you have played in 11 different countries, how hard is it relocating and adapting to different lifestyles?

The first few weeks are always difficult, no matter what country/league I go to. Finding somewhere to live, finding a car, getting a routine in place and getting to know how the club works is always tough. Coming back to the UK is always easier of course because of the language factor, although as I speak to you, I am still in a hotel trying to find accommodation before tomorrows game!

Which country would you say has been the toughest so far to play in?
On the field was probably Greece. The standard of the league was incredible. In my first two games I was told to mark former Newcastle defender Dabizas and former Arsenal player Gilberto Silva at set pieces, so it was a bit of an eye opener!

How was your time at Lincoln City? And what was it like playing in England for the second time?
It was great coming “home”. I feel like England is home in a sense as over the past 10 years of my career I’ve spent most of my time back there. Its a tough league to play in and I had just come off a long injury lay off over the Scandinavian off-season, so personally I needed some more time and also getting wrongly sent off in my second game didn’t help! The manager Gary Simpson was great and I enjoyed the sessions we did, and also I think in the 7 games I played, we only lost 1 game and got 14 points so it wasn’t bad. I just wished I could have come in earlier in the season.

Did you dream of playing football as a kid? If so did you ever think you would of played football in so many different countries?
I was born in to a footballing family with my Dad playing for NZ in the World Cup, but having said that, I just loved it and couldn’t stop playing all year round. I always knew I wanted to be a footballer, and I would have loved to have stayed in one country or one club my whole life, but unfortunately thats not how football works, and I have to follow where the opportunities lie.

 Since you are a tall striker, do you prefer being a target man who can hold play up and get players into the game. Or do you prefer to play as more of a player who can get behind teams defences?
I think by default I have become a target man of sorts. Because I am tall, players seem to think they can just bang it up to me, but I like to play on the floor. Ive become more of a “target man/poacher” where I look to hold things up, lay it off, then get in the box and poach. Ive averaged a goal every 190mins over my career which I’m quite happy with, but I’ve also averaged a new club every 12 months so thats not so good!

As briefly mentioned, you have just signed for Linfield Town. When joining a new club do you ever feel like there’s pressure to do well?
When ever you play the first game at a club, there is pressure, and getting the first goal is always important. At Shrewsbury I took a long time to score which made life very tough for me. I made my debut on the weekend playing 15 minutes, and it was great to play in front of such passionate fans, but obviously it takes time to settle so as long as the team are getting decent results and other players are scoring, thats important.

Match Report: Macclesfield Town VS Lincoln City

Today’s game at Moss Rose saw Macclesfield Town entertain Lincoln City, with both teams looking to get an important 3 points. 

Danny Cowley made two changes to the team that beat Southport, with McCombe and Rhead coming in, to replace Raggett and Marriott. 

Lincoln got the game under way, kicking from right to left. But it was Macclesfield who started off on the front foot, with Sampson and Holroyd causing major problems for The Imps defence. 

However on the stroke of half time it was The Silkmen who went ahead. After a cross came in from the left hand side, Kingsley James was on hand to squeeze the ball past a helpless Farman, who then was booked for an altercation with Sampson, who also booked. 

HALF TIME: MACCLESFIELD TOWN 1-0 LINCOLN CITY

Almost immediately Lincoln looked to get an equaliser, with loanee Harry Anderson causing problems for Macclesfields defence. And it was Anderson who put the game on level terms, after cutting in from the right hand side his shot squeezed past Branagan. 

With Lincoln looking to get all three points, Matt Rhead was replaced by Adam Marriott. Just 4 minutes later it was Marriott who put The Imps ahead. A cross from the left hand side landed at the feet of Marriott, who turned his man and half volleyed the ball past Branagan. 

FULL TIME: MACCLESFIELD 1-2 LINCOLN CITY 

Getting To Know: Macclesfield Town

This weekend, Lincoln City come up against Macclesfield Town who are looking to bounce back after a 2-0 defeat to Sutton United, with captain Andy Halls also being sent off for he Silkmen.

I talk to Adam Washbrook, writer for Macclesfield Town who has agreed to give us Imps fans an in-depth look into The Silkmen’s campaign so far, and team news ahead of Saturday’s fixture between the two sides.

After a defeat to Sutton last weekend and a red card to captain Andy Halls, how confident will Macclesfield fans be going into Saturday’s game?

I think, and I can obviously only speak for myself, the fans have a great belief in the side this season and they’ve seen both some great goals and some great football from the boys so far. Sutton was a disappointment certainly, but it was at the back end of a packed schedule which was arguably a factor in it. Hallsy’s red was a bit controversial especially with one of the tackles from the Sutton side, but there’s some real depth in the side and the fans can expect John Askey to be well prepared to find suitable cover. 

With Andy Hall’s being suspended, do you expect anyone else to miss out on Saturdays game?

 I don’t expect so. Ollie Norburn’s missed a couple of matches recently which is a shame after how he started the season, but he made the bench for Sutton and after a week of training I’d expect him and the rest of the squad to be in good shape. I spoke with Chris Holroyd on Tuesday and he said everyone’s looking good at the moment. 

Since Lincoln last played Macclesfield, the likes of Kristian Dennis have ended up departing in the summer. Could you through the clubs transfer business from the summer?

So obviously Kristian left which was a shame because he scored a lot goals, a lot of important goals too. Chris Holroyd played many of his earlier years through the middle though and he’s scored goals since moving back there this season, and we’ve re-signed Jack Mackreth who’s had a couple of good years with the club before, and he carries great threat going forward. Craig Ross came in effectively to replace Shwan Jalal who went to Wrexham. He’s done brilliant since coming in. Kingsley James is a quality player and with Halifax being relegated there was an opportunity to get a good deal for all parties, we’ve got a good midfielder who knows where the goal is too. Ollie Norburn as well, I mean he’s been on the books of premier league clubs in his younger years, and that shows at times in his quality. He’s been great and was unfortunate to pick up a knock. Fortunately for the club, the vast majority from last season have stayed so the squad is mostly the same. That’s very important in terms of some consistency and building something to go forward with.

Danny Cowley has now joined The Imps following an impressive stint at Braintree. What do you think will be key if Macclesfield are to gain an important three points?

We know all about Cowley and the success he and Braintree had last season. He and his brother have a way of playing and have clearly had good results from it, and Danny I’m sure will be looking to take Lincoln back into the football league. At the end of the day though, they’ve had virtually identical results to ourselves, and with our home record and defensive qualities there’s nothing to say we can’t thwart them even if they have scored a lot of goals already this season.

As you just mentioned both clubs are level on points so far, do you think both clubs will be challenging for the play offs at the end of the season?

It’s a nice thought and there’s lots of belief around Macclesfield that something good could come of this season, we’re optimistic despite some clubs having bigger budgets available to them. I personally believe that both clubs could be challenging for the playoffs, yes.

Finally, what’s your prediction for Saturday’s game?

Ooo I’ll play the optimist and say 2-1 to Macc. 

Callum Howe Joins Southport

Callum Howe has followed fellow Imps team mate Criag Stanley to national league rivals Southport. 

Howe, who joins on a one month loan, has struggled for Lincoln and not started a game so far for Danny Cowleys men. With Howe and Stanley off the books for the time being, could this pave way for the midfielder that Danny Cowley has been talking about? 

Callum Howe battling with Shinji Okazaki in a pre season friendly last year

Craig Stanley Joins Southport

Craig Stanley has today joined Southport on a one month loan. After being transfer listed by Imps manager Danny Cowley, Craig has been playing matches for the youth team and became out of favour at Lincoln City.

Match Preview: Lincoln City VS Southport

A Wins A Must 

Following two defeats in a row, Lincoln City manager Danny Cowley has admitted that 3 points against Southport is a must. Although early in the season, a good run now is crucial going into a busy period of fixtures.

Familiar Faces

James Caton is set to feature against The Imps at the weekend. After becoming a fans favourite following an impressive loan spell last season, Caton will certainly be a player to watch out for. Another player is Louis Almond. A prolific striker who had a loan spell back in 2012 under David Holdsworth, Almond also scored 2 in Southports only victory of the season so far against Woking. 

Changes 

Danny Cowley has stated that he is willing to change the squad around if it could potentially strengthen the squad. With Harry Anderson joining on loan from Peterborough, the starting XI could see Nathan Arnols go in the middle with Jack Muldoon upfront.

Getting To Know: Dagenham & Redbridge

Last week saw a mixed set of results for both clubs going into Tuesday’s clash. With Dagenham and Lincoln both winning and losing a game in the last week, it looks to be a game which both sides will be desperate to win. 

I talk to Archant Londons Dagenham & Redbridge reporter Ned Keating, for a closer look into Dagenhams campaign and his thoughts on Lincoln City. 

After a 2-0 win against Guisely, how do you think Dagenham will do, playing against a Lincon side looking to bounce back with a win after a defeat to Sutton last weekend. 

Even before the weekend, Tuesday’s match was always going to be a tough one. Lincoln are a team I fully expect to be up there challenging come the end of the season, and the loss to Sutton will push them on to do better. Daggers, meanwhile, have to start showing some consistency. After beating Southport on the opening day, they didn’t turn up at Chester and then controlled things against Guiseley – they have to make sure they don’t slip again on Tuesday.

With the likes of Assombalonga joining from lower league clubs, could you run through the transfer business after relegation to the Vanarama National League. 

 The transfer policy could almost be split into three categories: those who’ve played for John Still before, those from the lower leagues and those young players with a point to prove. Elliot Justham, Matt Robinson, Paul Benson and Curtley Williams have all joined from Luton Town, Still’s former club, while he initially brought Scott Doe and Luke Howell to Daggers during his second stint before re-signing the pair in the summer. Then you’ve got Chris Assombalonga, Craig Robson, Corey Whitely and Fejiri Okenabirhie who all spent last season in the Isthmian Leagues. That leaves us with Josh Staunton, Leo Donnellan and loanee Jordan Maguire-Drew, with the first two having left the academies of Charlton Athletic and QPR respectively in the summer. Still obviously trusts the first group, has always given the likes of those in the second group a chance (like he did with Benson many moons ago) and hopes the third lot develop well under him.

What’s your view on Lincoln and how do you think they will get on this season? 

For me, Lincoln were a staple club of the Football League growing up as a young kid in the 2000s, so to see them in the National League for so long only serves as a reminder as to how difficult it is to get out of. With Danny Cowley at the helm, though, they have a superb chance. Every knows about his exploits with Braintree Town last season but he even worked wonders before that at Concord Rangers. Wherever’s he’s been, he’s brought success which is what you want from a manager. He’s also strengthened well, with Alex Woodyard his key lieutenant on the pitch. The league is too tough to call in terms of an outright winner, but I definitely expect Lincoln to feature in the race for promotion.

How has John Still changed the atmosphere round the club?

John Still is loved by the fans having achieved promotion twice during his last stint in charge, so that’s always a good way to get them back on side! He’s also replaced a lot of the deadwood at the club with players who look like they connect with the fans a lot better. He always discusses how he wants his players to be a ‘Dagger’, which is an ideal shared by the fans. In short, he’s just an icon and the fact he’s back has boosted the atmosphere. 

Finally, what’s your prediction ahead of Tuesday’s fixture? 

Between two sides who should be aiming for promotion, it will be a tough game so I’ll plump for a 1-1 draw.

Lincoln City playing Dagenham & Resbridge back in 2008

Match Report: Lincoln City VS Sutton United

Lincoln City hope to make it three wins in three today, as they host newly promoted side Sutton United. Following a solid 1-1 draw away at Forest Green, both teams would be going into the game hoping for a win.

Danny Cowley’s starting XI remained the same as Tuesdays emphatic win against North Ferriby, however Terry Hawkridge returns from injury and starts on the bench. Meanwhile for Paul Doswell, his side made one with  Biamou replacing Burge.

Sutton got the afternoons game underway and straight away looked to press the Lincoln back line, however a strike from Deacon was fired wide. Lincoln had a couple of chances after, however the main talking point in that spell was when Matt Rhead looked to of pulled his hamstring, which lead to him coming off for The Imps and was replaced by Adam Marriott.

It then got even worse for The Imps, a Sutton free kick was cleared however after an off the ball incident between Deacon and Bradley Wood saw referee Simon Barrow send off Imps skipper Wood, however Deacon was only given a yellow. Things seemingly got worse for Lincoln, after Sean Raggett gave away a free kick outside the box, Sutton man Dan Wishart, who is attracting interest from League 1 clubs curled the ball past a stranded Paul Farman and gave the visitors the lead.

HALF TIME: Lincoln City 0-1 Sutton United

Both teams came out unchanged going into the second half, with Lincoln looking to get an equaliser. After a short spell dominated by The Imps, they finally levelled when Sam Habergham crossed a ball in which instead looped the head of Sutton keeper Worner from 40 yards and found its way into the back of the net.

With Lincoln down to 10 men, it was now all about trying to hold out for a draw, and looked on track to do so after doing well in defending a Sutton side looking to press for 3 points. But the extra man for Sutton eventually worked in their favour. After a looping cross wasn’t dealt with by City’s defence, Jamie Collins was on hand to put Sutton back ahead with seven minutes to go.

Lincoln brought on Jamie McCombe in the final minutes to try and win the high balls against a solid Sutton defence. With one leading to a corner, for Lincoln and what looked to be their final chance. Paul Farman also came up for The Imps put after failing to win a head, Sutton was to counter and despite Farman back in his own net, Deacon was on hand to put the game to bed and put the away side 3-1 up.

FULL TIME: Lincoln City 1-3 Sutton United

Lincoln City XI: Farman, Beevers (McCombe 85), Waterfall, Raggett, Habergham, Woodyard, Wood (C), Muldoon, Arnold (Hawkrige 73), Rhead (Marriott 17), Margetts.

Sutton XI: Worner, Amankwaah, Wishart, Beckwith, Gomis (Morrell 61), Collins, Bailey, Deacon, Biamou (Dickson 68), Downer (Burge 56).

​