# Bristol City v Lincoln City — the Match Wizard Championship, game week 6 — Tuesday, 15 September 2026, kick-off 19:45 UK time. > The wizard is price-blind: four steps on played-match facts alone, then your appraisal — and only then the market. Read it in order. Nothing here is a tip or a selection. Bristol City: 50 league matches in the bank, 6 from this season and the rest from last season. Lincoln City: 50 league matches in the bank, 6 from this season and the rest from last season in the League One. ## Step 1 of 4 — The table **Lincoln City is new to this division, so the rank comparison rests on less than a shared season.** Step one is THE TABLE: rank against rank, and the blocks -- the table cut into a top, middle and bottom block, drawn from last season's final standings. The question is not just where each side stands but how it behaves against the company the other keeps: does it play to rank against the blocks above and below, or come apart? ### Bristol City -- at home - **Where it stands:** Stands 11th of 24 after 6 games, with 10 points. Last season it finished 12th of 24 in this division. - **Its block:** By last season's final table it sits in the middle block (9th to 16th). Blocks are drawn from last season because the current table is only 6 games old. - **Against today's opponent's block:** Today it faces a side new to its division. Against that block it has won 1, drew 0, lost 0 of 1. Away against them: won 1 of 1. - **Across all the blocks:** Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 4, drew 5, lost 9 of 18 (0.94 a game); against the middle block won 5, drew 4, lost 6 of 15 (1.27 a game); against the bottom block won 9, drew 2, lost 5 of 16 (1.81 a game); against sides new to the division won 1, drew 0, lost 0 of 1 (3.00 a game). ### Lincoln City -- away - **Where it stands:** Stands 16th of 24 after 6 games, with 8 points. It was not in this division last season -- it came up from the League One, where it finished 1st of 24. - **Its block:** New to the division this season, so it takes no block from last season's final table. - **Against today's opponent's block:** Today it faces a side from the middle block (9th to 16th). Against that block it has won 10, drew 5, lost 1 of 16 -- 35 points of 48. At home against them: won 4 of 7. Away against them: won 6 of 9. - **Across all the blocks:** Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 9, drew 6, lost 1 of 16 (2.06 a game); against the middle block won 10, drew 5, lost 1 of 16 (2.19 a game); against the bottom block won 12, drew 1, lost 4 of 17 (2.18 a game); against sides new to the division won 1, drew 0, lost 0 of 1 (3.00 a game). ## Step 2 of 4 — Home and away form **-0.67 points a game is the venue form gap, in Lincoln City's favour: Bristol City takes 1.38 a game at home over the last two seasons, Lincoln City 2.04 away.** Step two is HOME AND AWAY FORM -- the home side judged on its home record, the away side on its away record, because those are the records that will be on the pitch. The last five reach back into last season where this season is too young to answer, and say so. ### Bristol City -- at home - **Its record at the relevant venue:** This season at home: won 1, drew 0, lost 1 of 2, scoring 2 and conceding 3. Last season at home: won 9, drew 3, lost 10 of 22, scoring 33 and conceding 31 -- 1.36 points a game. - **Its last five league matches:** Newest first: lost to Southampton 1-4 away; beat Burnley 2-1 away; beat Preston North End 3-1 away; beat Portsmouth 2-1 at home; drew with Birmingham City 2-2 away. - **The dugout:** The banked record belongs to the club, not one man: 3 different managers took its 34 matches with one recorded (21, 7, 6 apiece), most recently Michael Skubala with 6. Who picks the team today is not yet recorded this season, so a summer change of manager would not show in these figures. ### Lincoln City -- away - **Its record at the relevant venue:** This season away: won 2, drew 0, lost 1 of 3, scoring 3 and conceding 2. Last season away in the League One: won 13, drew 6, lost 3 of 22, scoring 36 and conceding 19 -- 2.05 points a game. - **Its last five league matches:** Newest first: beat Preston North End 1-0 away; drew with Southampton 1-1 at home; drew with Blackburn Rovers 0-0 at home; beat Bolton Wanderers 1-0 away; lost to Portsmouth 1-3 at home. - **The dugout:** Every one of the 18 banked matches with a manager recorded was taken by Michael Skubala. Who picks the team today is not yet recorded this season, so a summer change of manager would not show in these figures. ## Step 3 of 4 — Goals, and when they come **Bristol City scores heaviest in the 76-90+ spell and concedes heaviest in 16-30; Lincoln City scores heaviest in 31-45+ and concedes heaviest in 76-90+. The shapes mesh: Bristol City's strongest scoring spell is exactly where Lincoln City is softest.** Step three is GOALS, AND WHEN THEY COME. Not just how many each side scores and lets in, but the minute bands they come in, who lands the first blow, what each side does after falling behind, and who finds goals late. A side that concedes early and scores late reads very differently from one that does the opposite, at the same goal difference. Side by side: Bristol City scores most in the 76-90+ band (16 of 65); Bristol City concedes most in the 16-30 band (15 of 69); Lincoln City scores most in the 31-45+ band (22 of 92); Lincoln City concedes most in the 76-90+ band (12 of 45). Who lands the first blow and who lands the last is the question this step exists to ask. ### Bristol City -- at home - **Goals a game:** Scores 1.3 and concedes 1.4 a game over its last 50 league matches; at home, 1.5 for and 1.4 against over 24. - **When it scores:** Of 65 scored across its own 50 matches with times recorded: 1-15: 9; 16-30: 10; 31-45+: 14; 46-60: 10; 61-75: 6; 76-90+: 16. Its heaviest scoring spell is after the 75th minute -- 16 of 65 (25%). - **When it concedes:** Of 69 conceded across its own 50 matches with times recorded: 1-15: 10; 16-30: 15; 31-45+: 10; 46-60: 8; 61-75: 11; 76-90+: 15. Its heaviest conceding spell is after the 75th minute -- 15 of 69 (22%). - **The first goal:** Scored first in 20 of its 50 read -- then won 14, drew 4, lost 2; conceded first in 27 -- pulled back 5 wins and 4 draws from them. Across every match where it trailed at some stage it recovered 19 points. - **Two-goal swings:** Led by two goals at some point in 12 of its 50 read, winning 12 of them; trailed by two in 13, rescuing 1 result; was ahead at some point without winning in 6. ### Lincoln City -- away - **Goals a game:** Scores 1.8 and concedes 0.9 a game over its last 50 league matches; away, 1.6 for and 0.8 against over 25. - **When it scores:** Of 92 scored across its own 50 matches with times recorded: 1-15: 13; 16-30: 12; 31-45+: 22; 46-60: 9; 61-75: 15; 76-90+: 21. - **When it concedes:** Of 45 conceded across its own 50 matches with times recorded: 1-15: 6; 16-30: 5; 31-45+: 7; 46-60: 6; 61-75: 9; 76-90+: 12. Its heaviest conceding spell is after the 75th minute -- 12 of 45 (27%). - **The first goal:** Scored first in 36 of its 50 read -- then won 30, drew 5, lost 1; conceded first in 12 -- pulled back 2 wins and 5 draws from them. Across every match where it trailed at some stage it recovered 11 points. - **Two-goal swings:** Led by two goals at some point in 20 of its 50 read, winning 18 of them; trailed by two in 4, rescuing 1 result; was ahead at some point without winning in 7. ## Step 4 of 4 — The bookies' favourite markets **Averaging the two sides' own rates: over 2.5 goals in 52% of their games, both teams scoring in 51%, and a two-goal lead for one side or the other in 55%. On the record there is no strong lean either way on goals.** Step four is THE BOOKIES' FAVOURITE MARKETS -- over and under, both teams to score, and the two-goal lead that pays the 2UP offer out early -- read from what these two sides have actually produced, with the denominator on every figure. Still no price: these are the match's tendencies, not its odds. How the counting works, once for the whole step: every figure is counted over ONE side's own matches -- Bristol City's numbers over its games, Lincoln City's over its own. The two clubs are never pooled into one denominator; where a single figure for this fixture is wanted, it is the AVERAGE of the two sides' rates, and says so. For the 2UP offer the fact that matters is a two-goal lead for one team or the other at ANY point, not the final margin. In Bristol City's own 24 home matches read, one appeared in 15 (62%). In Lincoln City's own 25 away matches read, 12 (48%). Averaging the two sides' rates -- never pooling their matches -- that is 55% of games. ### Bristol City -- at home - **Over and under:** Over 2.5 goals in 25 of its own 50 (50%); over 1.5 in 38 (76%); over 3.5 in 14 (28%). At home: over 2.5 in 12 of its 24 (50%). - **Both teams to score:** Both teams scored in 25 of its own 50 (50%). At home: 10 of its 24 (42%). - **Clean sheets and blanks:** Kept a clean sheet in 13 of its own 50 (26%); failed to score in 15 (30%). - **Two goals clear:** Counted over Bristol City's own 50 matches read: Bristol City or the side it was playing that day went two goals up in 25 (50%). Bristol City itself held the lead in 12, winning 12. In its home matches: one side or the other went two up in 15 of 24. ### Lincoln City -- away - **Over and under:** Over 2.5 goals in 27 of its own 50 (54%); over 1.5 in 37 (74%); over 3.5 in 16 (32%). Away: over 2.5 in 11 of its 25 (44%). - **Both teams to score:** Both teams scored in 26 of its own 50 (52%). Away: 10 of its 25 (40%). - **Clean sheets and blanks:** Kept a clean sheet in 21 of its own 50 (42%); failed to score in 5 (10%). - **Two goals clear:** Counted over Lincoln City's own 50 matches read: Lincoln City or the side it was playing that day went two goals up in 24 (48%). Lincoln City itself held the lead in 20, winning 18. In its away matches: one side or the other went two up in 12 of 25. ## Your appraisal — and now the market **Lincoln City is new to this division, so the rank comparison rests on less than a shared season. -0.67 points a game is the venue form gap, in Lincoln City's favour: Bristol City takes 1.38 a game at home over the last two seasons, Lincoln City 2.04 away. Bristol City scores heaviest in the 76-90+ spell and concedes heaviest in 16-30; Lincoln City scores heaviest in 31-45+ and concedes heaviest in 76-90+. The shapes mesh: Bristol City's strongest scoring spell is exactly where Lincoln City is softest. Averaging the two sides' own rates: over 2.5 goals in 52% of their games, both teams scoring in 51%, and a two-goal lead for one side or the other in 55%. On the record there is no strong lean either way on goals.** If the pattern holds -- and a pattern is a shape, not a promise: Lincoln City lands the first blow more often (36 of 50 to 20 of 50); when a lead builds towards 2UP it is more often Lincoln City's -- two goals clear in 20 of 50, against 12 of 50; Bristol City finds its goals latest of all -- 16 of its 65 after the 75th, and Lincoln City concedes most in that same spell; the last quarter-hour is where this fixture's money is likeliest to move. That read is built from the four steps, with no price in your ear -- the steps hold the evidence if you want the post-mortem. Now the market gets its say. Where it agrees with you it got there first; where it does not, your read and the crowd's disagree -- that is the conversation this tool exists to set up, and no measured edge backs either side of it. The tissue is a plain goals model: Bristol City 0.98 goals expected, Lincoln City 1.71, from two seasons of scoring rates (24 home matches and 25 away in the bank), shrunk toward the division average. It is calibrated against nothing and claims no edge -- it exists to make your view concrete before the market speaks. Note: Lincoln City's figures include last season in the League One, where goals came against different company. - **Match result:** Our tissue: Bristol City 4.61 (22%), the draw 4.17 (24%), Lincoln City 1.84 (54%). The market's averages: 1.98, 3.60 and 3.60. The widest gap is on Lincoln City: the market offers 3.60 against our 1.84. If our figures are right that is value; nothing proves they are. - **Over or under 2.5 goals:** Our tissue: over 2.5 1.99 (50%), under 2.5 2.01 (50%). The market's averages: over 2.5 1.85, under 2.5 1.89. Close to our view -- no argument either way. - **Both teams to score:** Our tissue: yes 1.95 (51%), no 2.05 (49%). The market's averages: yes 1.70, no 2.01. Close to our view -- no argument either way. - **The 2UP fact:** For the 2UP offer the fact that matters is a two-goal lead for one team or the other at ANY point, not the final margin. In Bristol City's own 24 home matches read, one appeared in 15 (62%). In Lincoln City's own 25 away matches read, 12 (48%). Averaging the two sides' rates -- never pooling their matches -- that is 55% of games. No tissue is offered for this -- the played-match rates above are the honest read. The market figures are the AVERAGE pre-match odds our feed records across books, not a best price -- a shaded average, so small gaps mean nothing. ## Half-time The HTML page reads the second half from any half-time score you give it: /football/wizard/championship/2026-09-15/bristol-city-v-lincoln-city/halftime/ Built 2026-09-15T06:32:19+00:00 from matches completed before kick-off.