Lincoln City v West Ham United
Carabao Cup third round, LNER Stadium, Wednesday 27 September 2023, 7.45pm BST
West Ham United kick-off their 2023/24 Carabao Cup campaign with a third-round tie away to Lincoln City on Wednesday evening.
David Moyes’ side enter the competition at the round of 32 stage, having been given a bye in the last round due to West Ham’s involvement in European competition.
The Irons are two-time EFL Cup finalists - losing to West Bromwich Albion in 1966 and Liverpool in 1981.
Lincoln, meanwhile, sit 13th in EFL League One, on 12 points from eight matches played so far. The Imps achieved their joint best-ever placing in the Carabao Cup last season, reaching the fourth round for only the second-time in the team’s history.
Tickets…
Our allocation of 1,839 tickets for this match sold out to Bondholders, Away Scheme Members and Season Ticket Holders with 29+ Loyalty Points.
Travel…
As suggested by their stadium’s sponsor, Lincoln is reachable by train on the LNER network.
Direct services leave London Kings at 12.06, 14.06 and 16.06 on matchday, arriving at Lincoln station just under two hours later. From there, it is a 15-minute walk down Sincil Bank to the stadium.
If you are driving, take the M25 to Junction 23, then the northbound A1 for 110 miles. Take the A46 exit, just north of Newark, signposted for Newark/Lincoln/Sleaford/A17.
When you get to the Hykeham Roundabout with the Travelodge on your left after nine miles, continue straight onto the A1434 Newark Road, which will carry you into Lincoln.
South Common will appear on your right and you can book parking here for £5 per vehicle here or by scanning the QR code. From here, it is a five-minute walk to the LNER Stadium.
How To Follow…
Wednesday's tie will NOT be broadcast live in the UK.
You can, however, listen to all the action via BBC 5 Sports Extra. Please note that due to EFL regulations we will not be able to carry audio commentary on our website and app for this fixture.
You can also follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle.
Carabao Cup rules...
Wednesday's Carabao Cup tie will be settled on the night at LNER Stadium
In the event that the scores remain level after 90 minutes, the match will go straight to penalties and there will be no extra-time played.
Before that, each manager can name nine substitutes, of whom five can be used. Each club is permitted a maximum of three opportunities to make substitutions, excluding half-time.
Up to two concussion substitutes and/or two additional substitutes (additional substitutes available if the opposition make a concussion substitute) are permitted in accordance with the IFAB Protocol.
Use of either a concussion substitute or additional substitute shall not count towards the five substitutions permitted or towards the number of opportunities permitted to make a substitution.
Other information...
For the first time this season, the Hammers will wear the 2023/24 Third Kit.
Supporters should note that they will be a minute's applause before kick-off on Wednesday in memory of the late Lincoln City manager Colin Murphy, who sadly passed away earlier this month.
The winning team will not need to wait long to discover their next opponents as the fourth round draw will also take place on Wednesday evening, live on Sky Sports, following the conclusion of the third round ties.
Team News…
As the busy schedule begins to take shape, manager David Moyes will likely take the opportunity to rotate his squad for Wednesday’s cup clash.
Łukasz Fabiański will be hoping for more minutes in goal, having started last Thursday’s UEFA Europa League clash with FK TSC at London Stadium.
The Carabao Cup third round could also provide an opportunity for some young players from the Academy of Football, with the development team making an excellent start to the 2023/24 campaign in Premier League 2.
Lincoln, meanwhile, will definitely be without strikers Ben House and Tyler Walker. The duo have been out of action since late August with long-term set-backs, with House expected to miss a number of months due to a hip problem.
Lewis Montsma is also unavailable. The defender has been out of action since May due to an ACL injury.
Opposition…
Since relegation from the Football League in 2011, Lincoln City have been on the rebuild and back on the rise.
A five-year spell outside of the EFL came to an end in the 2016/17 season when, led by Danny Cowley, the Imps were promoted back to League Two. That season, they also reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, the first time a non-League team had reached the last eight since 1913/14.
Narrowly missing out on successive promotions after reaching the play-offs, Lincoln would win the EFL Trophy in the 2017/18 season thanks to a 1-0 win over Shrewsbury Town and then achieve promotion to EFL League One in 2018/19.
The Imps came staggeringly close to reaching the EFL Championship in 2021, having finished fifth in the play-offs. Defeating Sunderland over two legs in the semi-finals, they were narrowly beaten 2-1 by Blackpool in the final.
The last couple of seasons have seen Lincoln consolidate their place in League One under Mark Kennedy, who has been manager in 2022. The former Republic Of Ireland international previously worked at Macclesfield Town at head coach and was assistant to former Hammer Lee Bowyer at Birmingham City.
Previous Meetings…
West Ham United’s most-recent visit to play Lincoln City was also in the League Cup; a third-round tie that was played in November 1982 and ended in a 1-1 draw.
Prior to that, the Hammers have been to Sincil Bank on eleven other occasions, with the first being an FA Cup intermediate round tie played way back on 13 December 1902!
The Imps were then a Football League Division Two club, while the Irons were still in the Southern League, with the home side running out 2-0 winners.
The Hammers have had some ups and downs in between, losing a Division Two fixture 0-6 in October 1932, but winning 6-1 on our last league visit, also in Division Two, in December 1957.
Match Officials…
Referee: Josh Smith
Assistant Referees: Edward Smart and Nick Greenhalgh
Fourth Official: Leigh Doughty
Josh Smith will serve as the referee for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup fixture between West Ham United and Lincoln City.
Officiating runs in Smith’s family, with his dad and grandfather refereeing in football and rugby league respectively, and Smith’s own journey began in 2006 when, aged 14, he started refereeing in the Peterborough and District Junior Alliance League.
Having been promoted up to the EFL referees list, and then the Select Group 2 List of Referees, Smith was chosen to referee the League Two play-off final between Colchester United and Exeter City in June 2020.
Smith has refereed six Championship matches so far this season and as also in charge of the Carabao Cup second round tie between Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur, which Fulham won 6-4 on penalties.
He also took charge of his first Premier League match at the weekend, officiating the 1-1 draw between Luton Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
