Well, certainly the comments made by Mr. Atkins in his message to the fans this week were taken by some to mean that the trip to Lincoln had been written off. Atkins wrote: “We've got Lincoln this weekend and once we get that out of the way, hopefully we'll get some of the injured and ill people back…once they're back with us, the viruses clear up and we have everyone back fully fit we can push on again because there are still an awful lot of points to play for.”

It certainly doesn’t give you the greatest incentive in the world to travel 200 miles to watch the team when the manager seems to have almost given up.

And the bad news?

That’s not good.

It has been said, although Lee Thorpe hasn’t managed it against either Lincoln or Orient this season (he didn’t play in the Grimsby game, the Mariners being another of his former clubs) – and that despite having a hatful of opportunities at Brisbane Road.

Funnily enough, Lee Thorpe was at the centre of a dispute between Ian Atkins and Lincoln some years ago. Northampton Town’s Ian Clarkson broke his leg in a challenge with Thorpe and Atkins, ever the diplomat, seemingly made some choice comments about the striker afterwards. Needless to say, the incident spawned a rivalry between the Imps and Atkins.

Not necessarily. Once a fixture in the Stacey West Stand ‘Airo’ (that’s its name), who was cranked every time Lincoln got a corner, is seen (or should that be heard) rather less often these days. A few years back Airo disappeared after an online poll suggested he annoyed fans and it was also rumoured that then manager Alan Buckley didn’t like the suggestion of long-ball that Airo implied (nor presumably the spectre of John Beck that it raised).

Airo has returned since though although he (locals seem to address Airo as a ‘he’) was silenced again during the Iraq conflict for reasons of sensitivity; there are still a number of RAF bases in the area and the club explained: “We have decided that using the siren would be insensitive at the moment.

“Some of our fans are absent from our games because they are involved in or around Iraq - and our best wishes go to them”

There certainly is. Lincoln dates back to Roman times and the place is steeped in history. Both Lincoln Castle and its Cathedral date back to William the Conqueror’s time and the latter dominates the local skyline b(it can be seen twenty miles away). The castle is noteworthy for housing one of only four original copies of the Magna Carta, which was signed by King John at Runnymede in 1215.

Lincoln Cathedral is notable for the uphill walk to get there amongst other things (one of the roads leading to it is even called Steep Hill) but it’s worth the effort. At 57,000 square feet, Lincoln Cathedral is the third largest in England (after York Minster and St Paul’s) and it’s a mightily impressive building; the 19th-century writer John Ruskin described it as "the most precious piece of architecture in the British Isles" Oh yes, and you also get to play ‘find the Imp’ in the Cathedral!

Don’t worry, there are plenty of pubs in Lincoln including the Wig and Mitre near the top of Steep Hill and the Magna Carta in Castle Square, both of which are close to the Cathedral and Castle.

The High Street (which runs from the bottom of Steep Hill, past the station and towards the ground) is one of the best streets to head for and the Golden Eagle (no. 21), the Reindeer Hotel (no. 8), the George and Dagon (no 100) and the Millers Arms (number 88) are all within easy reach of Sincil Bank and have been friendly enough in the past (the Golden Eagle and the Reindeer are also mentioned in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide). The Treaty of Commerce near the station (and also on the High Street) was worth a visit last time we were there.

Off the High Street, The Ripon Arms (Monson Street) is a reasonable locals pub (even if some of the locals did seem a bit dysfunctional on one visit) pretty close to the ground and The Portland (Portland Street) is another back street boozer but one that has been refurbished recently. It was pretty friendly and a decent place to visit last time we went there (and somewhat improved from its past appearance).

Finally, away fans are welcome in The Centre Spot Social Club at the ground.

It’s worth bearing in mind that there have been a few ‘incidents’ between Rovers and Lincoln over the past few years (including the Lincoln minibus set alight outside the Gloucester Arms last season) so it’s probably best to be a bit careful – especially as we haven’t played them since that minibus affair.

Whenever there has been a chance of trouble the police have used The Walkabout (on the High Street) as a holding spot for the away team’s less desirable fans so it’s probably worth giving it a wide berth while The Ritz (a Wetherspoons pub) and the City Vaults (both on the High Street) have both been flashpoints in the past and other chain pubs may be best avoided. With regards to The City Vaults, every review we’ve read of it says it is primarily a home pub but safe enough so doubtless it usually is. However, a couple of years back there was some trouble outside it (which involved some people who had been inside it) and for that reason we’d suggest avoiding it.