Lincoln City boss Michael Appleton will hope to see his side get an early goal this weekend as they take on Sunderland at Sincil Bank.

Speaking in his press conference this morning, he admitted the first strike will be crucial as he looks to pick up his first win with the Imps. They've won just one in their last 11 matches, with Appleton overseeing defeats against Blackpool (2-1) and Manchester United Under 21s (1-0).

They take on a Sunderland side who have lost just once this season in what promises to be the biggest crowd of the current campaign at Sincil Bank.

After falling behind in a number of matches this season, the new Imps' boss is keen to ensure his side do not make the same mistakes again when Jack Ross' outfit arrive at Sincil Bank.

"Because of the atmosphere and because it’ll be a full house, neither side will want to make the first mistake," he said.

"It’s been a while since we went ahead in a game as a football club, so that could be key. Having said that, we know our visitors have drawn a lot of games in recent times so if we can get that first goal it will give everyone a massive confidence boost."

Sunderland have drawn four of their ten League One matches, whilst the Imps have shared the spoils on just one occasion. Despite their horrible run of form, Appleton's side are 11th in the table, having won their first four fixtures to give themselves a points cushion.

The meeting this weekend will be the first time the two teams have faced off since January 1999 when the Black Cats visited Lincolnshire in the third round of the FA Cup, winning 1-0.

The Verdict

Lincoln are on a bad run, but they're not playing badly. They had 21 shots against Man Utd Under 21s this week, nine of which were on target and they're creating chances at will.

The problem has been leaking early goals and letting their heads drop. In matches against MK Dons, Doncaster, Blackpool, Oxford, Rochdale, and Wycombe they were behind before the 15-minute mark had passed.

If they can get to half an hour or so and still be level, then they've enough quality to get a result of some kind this weekend.

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