City footballing derby tonight

A Lincoln City XI side will travel to the Sun-Hat Villas and Resort Stadium to face Lincoln United tonight (7.45pm KO).

The Imps make the short journey to cross-city neighbours United for the first action of the 2025/26 campaign.

The Whites achieved promotion back to the fourth of the non-league pyramid last time out, winning the UCL Premier Division North trophy as well as Lincolnshire County Trophy.

City’s U18 head coach Sam Tillen (pictured) is looking forward to the game, with a new influx of scholars set to feature for the first time.

He said: “We’re really looking forward to the occasion under the lights against a senior men’s side. It will be a proper test of our physicality and resilience, especially for such a young group under the lights and in front of a crowd.

“We’ve got nine first years in the squad this season, so this is a fantastic early opportunity for them to experience the demands of senior football, alongside our second years who we’re expecting to lead by example.

Tillen believes the match will be an important part of his side’s pre-season preparations as they look to build on an impressive 2024/25 campaign which saw them finish 5th in the Youth Alliance North.

“I’ve been pleased with how the group have come back in pre-season – they’ve worked extremely hard over the past few days and kept themselves in good condition over the break.

“This game is an important part of our pre-season schedule along with other challenging games against local non-league sides and it will help us prepare for our new Youth Alliance campaign.”

Tickets on the turnstiles are £5 adults, £3 U18s.

Picture: Vaughan Photography

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