Two changes for Luton as Wilshere wants Hatters to break into the top six

Hatters boss Jack Wilshere wants his side to break into the top six for the first time in his brief reign at Kenilworth Road as he has made two changes to his side from last weekend’s 2-1 victory over Stevenage when facing Lincoln City this afternoon.

The hosts go into the game knowing a fourth straight win on home soil in the league could see them jump into the play-off places, as they could overtake both Bolton Wanderers and Huddersfield Town. It would also see them cut the gap to their opponents to seven points, while should the Imps triumph, then any thoughts of automatic promotion this term are all but over, with the Imps going 13 points clear of the Hatters.

Having brought in Kal Naismith and Cohen Bramall for Christ Makosso and Lamine Fanne, with Jake Richards back on the bench, then asked about the importance of today’s contest, Wilshere said: “Honestly I haven’t really thought about that (not being able to catch Lincoln). The big thing for us is to try and get into the top six as since I’ve been here, we haven’t been in there. We’ve threatened to get close and we’ve gone on a little run but then we’ve either drawn a game or lost away at Exeter and had a little setback, so we’ll take each game as it comes.

"Listen, it’s a big challenge for us, a team that’s second in the league. They’re very good at what they do, very efficient at what they do and I was thinking about the game last week and it was only after the game that I thought it was really, really, important that we won that because of the table. So I tend not to think about that, I more think about the possibility of how we get to winning a game. It’s clear that they are 10 points ahead of us, but our focus right now is to try and win the next game to try and get into the top six.”

The Hatters will find it hugely difficult to do that, as they go up against a Lincoln side who are unbeaten in their last eight league games, with six wins in that time, including victories at Barnsley, Stockport and Blackpool in their last three away matches. With the Imps just four points leaders Cardiff, then on what he is expecting this afternoon, Wilshere added: “It’s a different challenge, different team, a team that have done very well this season, a manager that’s been there for a few years now and it looks to me like he’s worked out the league and what it requires, credit to him and credit to them for doing that, it will be a big challenge for us.

"Lincoln have a clear way of playing and they’ve been successful with it. They might tweak a few things of course like everyone does, prepare for different opposition, but we’d expect to see the same sort of structures, same sort of behaviours. We know what we’re up against, we know what we’re going to face. Stevenage gave us a test where they were really direct, really aggressive and in my opinion, Lincoln are quite similar with probably more quality and the ability to get the ball down and play as well.

"So we have to be ready for everything, we have to have the same mentality if we’re going to defend direct play like we did against Stevenage and then hopefully bring our game to them. We want to be a team that can hurt opposition, that can dominate the ball, that can play with purpose and I felt like Stevenage, especially in the second half, that was us.”

Hatters: Josh Keeley, Nigel Lonwijk, Mads Andersen, Kal Naismith (C), Joe Johnson, Liam Walsh, Jordan Clark (C), Gideon Kodua, Cohen Bramall, Emilio Lawrence, Nahki Wells. Subs: James Shea, Reuell Walters, Jerry Yates, Shayden Morris, George Saville, Jake Richards, Christ Makosso.

Imps: George Wickens, Tendayi Darikwa (C), Adam Reach, Reeco Hackett, Jack Moylan, Conor McGrandles, Sonny Bradley, Rob Street, Tom Hamer, Ivan Varfolomieiev, Freddie Draper. Subs: Zach Jeacock, Jamie Pardington, Lewis Montsma, Ryley Towler, Erik Ring, Dominic Jefferies, Bola Okewoye. Referee: Scott Oldham.