Police will be out in force today in Lincoln to help quash the threat of derby day football trouble.

Lincoln City are playing local rivals Grimsby Town, and the teams have a history of trouble.

The Echo understands Lincolnshire Police will be keeping tabs on a small youth group of Grimsby Town fans ahead of this afternoon's League Two fixture between Lincoln City and the Mariners at Sincil Bank.

Visiting supporters arriving by train at Lincoln Central Station will also be monitored as part of a citywide police operation.

It is believed around 140 officers will be on duty in Lincoln, with up to 1,000 Grimsby supporters expected to make the journey south for the game.

But with both teams struggling near the bottom of the table, police say they expect little trouble with estimates suggesting a lower than normal crowd of 5,000.

Lincolnshire Police football intelligence officer Andy Pearson said: "It's still being policed with a large presence with assistance from British Transport Police and a couple of officers from Humberside Police.

"There has not been any disorder or incidents since 2005 but we are mindful it's a high profile fixture with a long history of disorder. We are not going to get complacent.

"The message to anybody thinking of causing anti-social behaviour is they will be dealt with robustly and in a positive manner.

"This is to ensure everyone going about their normal business - shopping and going to the game - is not impacted upon.

"I think it's going to be the lowest gate for a derby game for a number of years. But it's an important game and we hope it passes off without incident."