ACCRINGTON Stanley assistant manager Jimmy Bell says Lincoln City have not approached him and John Coleman about the manager’s job at Sincil Bank – but they would talk to the Imps about the vacancy as their contract saga drags on.

Lincoln are without a manager after the resignation of former Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton earlier this week and Coleman is high up on some of the betting lists, with Boston management duo Paul Hurst and Rob Scott also linked.

It remains to be seen whether Coleman and Bell would actually leave for a club currently 12 places below Stanley in the League Two table, but assistant Bell says they would speak to any interested party as their frustration continues over their wait for a new contract.

The duo verbally agreed 12-month rolling deals in the summer of 2009 but they were never physically signed, and they have been waiting almost a year to put pen to paper on the offer of a new three-and-half-year contract.

“We’ve not heard anything directly from Lincoln, we’ve just heard a couple of rumours,” said Bell.

“They might be struggling positionally but they’re not financially, and they’re a big club.

“If anyone was to offer us anything we would have to speak to them.

“We have still not got our contract situation sorted and there may come a point where you have to look after yourself.

“It has been going on for nearly 12 months now. The contracts are all agreed but I don’t know who’s offering us the contract or who owns the club.

“But of course we want to stay here. We love the place.”

Chief executive Rob Heys said: “They have done a great job and we hope they will be at Accrington for many years to come.

“They do have a rolling contract, it’s not as if they haven’t got anything.

“But it would be nice now the season has started to get the contracts sorted.”

Stanley expect Ray Putterill’s hearing over an FA charge of playing in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy while suspended will take place within the next seven days.