Peterborough United warned they won't 'run over little old Lincoln', a look back at the memorable last meeting and team and injury news

Posh beat the high-flying Owls 2-0 at London Road on Tuesday to make it 3 wins in 4 League One matches and claim second spot in the table.

Wednesday were the League One title favourites before that defeat – they are still 3-1 second favourites behind Ipswich Town – whereas you can get 80-1 on Lincoln City finishing the season on top.

But the Imps have stayed unbeaten in their opening 4 games with a midweek win at Oxford United following 3 draws.

"it’s too early in the season to get over-excited,” McCann said after the Wednesday win. “We’ve started well, but we all need to keep our feet on the ground. There’s a long way to go and a lot of football to be played.

"Of course I was pleased with the performance against Wednesday, but we are 4 games into the season which is no time at all.

"We now have a very tough game coming up against Lincoln who have some very good players.

"They are a club that knows what League One is all about so we need to be ready for this game in the same way we were ready for Wednesday.”

RECENT HISTORY

Saturday sees the first meeting between Posh and Lincoln City since one of the most memorable days in London Road history.

Or one of the most upsetting days if you are an Imps fan.

Posh needed a point from their final home game of the season on May 1, 2021 to secure promotion to the Championship. Lincoln needed to win to keep their own hopes of automatic promotion alive and that looked set to happen when the visitors strode into a 3-0 lead just before the hour mark, but goals from Siriki Dembele and Jonson Clarke-Harris set-up a nerve-jangling finale which saw match referee John Busby lost the plot by awarding Posh a last-gasp penalty for a ‘foul’ on Sammie Szmodics.

Clarke-Harris did the rest to spark wonderful scenes of celebration and inside and outside the ground – it was still in the time of Covid and attendances of zero.

Tony Scully scored twice for Lincoln in that game and has scored in both Imps away games so far this season.

Lincoln last won at London Road in December, 2006 when legendary Imps boss Keith Alexander was managing Posh. Two Ryan Amoo goals won the day for Lincoln with Peter Gain, a former Lincoln player, replying for Posh.

It’s even stevens overall in Football League matches though with both teams winning 8 of 23 games.

TEAM NEWSWe’ll know more about a likely Posh line-up when McCann faces the press early on Friday afternoon.

Much attention will again be on the fitness of forward Joel Randall who missed the Wednesday game after damaging a shoulder in training. It’s not thought Kwame Poku will return to the Posh attack while full-back Dan Butler and Oliver Norburn are long-term injury victims.

Randall latest

Injury latest

Lincoln will be without on-loan Brighton goalkeeper Carl Rushworth because of injury, but back-up Jordan Wright played well in Tuesday’s win at Oxford United.

Lincoln are reportedly trying to sign midfielder Alex Gilbey on loan from Charlton and winger Jack Diamond on loan from Fleetwood.

OPPOSITION VIEW

Lincoln City boss Mark Kennedy told Lincolnshire Live: “We’ve talked about needing to change the mentality of ‘little old Lincoln’. Everybody thinks they’re just going to run over us, but it’s not going to happen.

“We saw young men being leaders on the pitch at Oxford. Without mentality you’ve got nothing, and that’s the thing we’re driving home to the lads. Since I’ve been here, the players have been great.”

REFEREE

For the first time in Posh history they will be refereed by a female as highly-regarded FIFA official Rebecca Welch is in charge of her first Football League match of the season. She officiated in the 2022 Womens Euros in England, taking charge of the Austria v Germany quarter-final.

BIG MATCH ODDS

Posh are 4/5 to beat Lincoln with Sky Bet. The Imps are 3-1 to win with the draw priced at 13-5.