Wanderers kick off their 2023/24 campaign with a home fixture against Lincoln City this Saturday
That new season wave of optimism is around the Toughsheet Community Stadium and with the addition of eight summer recruits, Wanderers will be aiming to go one better than last season’s play-off semi-final.
It’s Mark Kennedy’s Lincoln City who are the visitors and they will be looking to continue an impressive run of not losing on the opening day for the last 12 years in a row.
Manager quotes
Ian Evatt:
“I think we’re in a good place in terms of a squad. We’ve got good depth and good options, which offer different things. We’ve got some really good players and a really strong core group that have built a strong environment and culture to work in.
“They know what’s expected. They know what everyone’s opinion is this season and what our ambitions are and now it’s down to us and go out there and prove them. This is a big football club with huge expectations and the players have to stand up to that and rise to that.
“I do see a desire and a will-to-win in the players this week and a huge amount of excitement and we’re looking forward to the game on Saturday. Hopefully we can kick off with the right performance and three points.”
Lincoln Manager Mark Kennedy:
“The strength of the squad is a lot stronger, when everyone is fit and available, we should have a very powerful squad.
“Everybody has got to play each other. We couldn’t have picked a more difficult game to start with but there’s an argument to say it’s a good time to play them because it’s the first game of the season.
“We will approach the game like we have every other game last season and we’re going to Bolton to win a game of football.
Team News
Long-term absentee George Johnston is the only player confirmed to be ruled out of this one however the defender will be boosted by signing a contract extension this week until 2026.
Jack Iredale and Jon-Dadi Bodvarsson recently returned to training following slight knocks towards the end of the pre-season fixtures.
Form guide
Naturally, it’s a blank canvas for every team setting out on a fresh campaign and Lincoln will be no different.
The Imps’ pre-season has produced two draws, two defeats and three wins as they set out to kick on from last season’s 11th place finish.
Six summer signings have been recruited to bolster Mark Kennedy’s ranks. Ali Smith, Reeco Hackett, Lukas Jensen, Jaden Brown, Tyler Walker and Ethan Hamilton all arrived at Sincil Bank ahead of the new season and will be looking to make an instant impression on the opening day for their new employers.
As for Wanderers, an unbeaten pre-season has set the standard for Ian Evatt’s men with a draw against Premier League Everton and a 4-3 win over West Brom being the pick of the bunch.
Joel Coleman, Nathan Baxter, Josh Dacres-Cogley, Will Forrester and Zac Ashworth have the task of adding to an impressive defensive record after joining in the summer.
And at the other end, Paris Maghoma, Carlos Mendes Gomes and Dan Nlundulu will look to add their attacking prowess to get Wanderers firing up the league table.
Officials:
Referee: Will Finnie
Assistant referees: Conor Brown and Lisa Rashid
Fourth Official: Scott Simpson
Kick-off:
Saturday, 3pm
Tickets
A big crowd is expected to roar on Ian Evatt’s men for the season opener but there is still time to be part of the atmosphere!
CLICK HERE to get your tickets.
Coverage:
Supporters living outside of the UK can watch the game live via Wanderers TV with a match pass, which can be purchased HERE
Alternatively, UK supporters can listen to live full match commentary on Wanderers TV HERE.