Lincoln City manager Danny Cowley has told Lincolnshire Live which areas he feels he needs to strengthen before the League One transfer window shuts in a fortnight's time.

The Imps are the early surprise package in the third-tier, winning all three of their matches and as yet, not conceding a goal. They also beat Championship side Huddersfield away in the EFL Cup to set up a mouth-watering tie with Everton at Sincil Bank next week.

They have one of the smallest squads and Cowley believes they need five players to give them the depth they need to compete in the longer term.

“In an ideal world we would like to add another centre-half, a left-back, another midfielder player, a winger and centre forward,” he said ahead of tonight's encounter with MK Dons.

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“That would give us a really competitive League One squad. But we’re realistic enough to know that’s not going to be possible. We’ve got to work hard to get the best players possible to complement the group."

The 40-year-old has already enticed Jack Payne, Jorge Grant and Tyler Walker to Sincil Bank this season and he acknowledges that quality is just as important as quantity.

"We’re low on numbers but we’re high on quality – and high in quality human beings, which is really important.”

The Imps travel to MK Dons this evening looking to protect one of only two 100% records left in the EFL.

The Verdict

Lincoln have caught the eye already this season, not just with their winning start but also those four clean sheets in a row. It's a remarkable run which will come to an end sometime, but they've laid down a marker following last year's title win, that's for sure.

They are light, discounting players under the age of 20 they have a squad of around 16. That's not going to be enough to compete in the league and all three cup competitions.

It's the cup that will bring some financial respite for Cowley though. He often talks of 'football fortune', something he seems good at producing. With a Wembley win in the EFL Trophy as well as two good FA Cup runs, he's adept at generating money not previously budgeted for.

Last week's win at Huddersfield might just mean he gets three of those players he wants, which would be a good start.