Michael Appleton has stated that Lincoln's performance against Gillingham was the worst he's ever seen from a team that he's managed.

Lincoln went down by a solitary goal to Gillingham on Saturday, and it was another poor performance from the side as the Imps continue to struggle in League One.

They have been on a rather poor run in the league and will be hoping things change in the coming weeks to steer them away from any sort of relegation threat.

Appleton has to find a way of getting the best out of his side after what has been a set of very lacklustre displays since Danny Cowley left the side.

The boss expressed that it was an atrocious performance and that Lincoln were bad in every area of the pitch.

Speaking to Lincolnshire Live, Appleton said: “That’s by far the worst performance I’ve seen from a team I’ve managed. I hope it’s a one-off that we never see again.

“We were so bad in every area and second best to everything. There are no excuses, there’s no point me coming out here trying to defend what we’ve just watched, so I’m not going to. I can’t defend them in any way, shape or form."

Lincoln are next in action when they take on Ipswich Town in their FA Cup First Round replay at Sincil Bank after a 1-1 draw in the game at Portman Road.

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The Verdict

Appleton has had a rather poor start to life at Lincoln, and he'll already be feeling under pressure especially after following in the footsteps of such a successful manager as Danny Cowley.

There's hope that they can push up the league in the future, especially with the squad that they have available to them but they have to make sure that they get the basics right again after some really poor displays.

Appleton has an opportunity make them a much better side, but it will always be difficult when you take over from a manager who had such a long period of success. He has to make sure he takes some tips from the previous boss and then tries to build on and around that.