Woeful Posh’s away day blues continue as they are thrashed at Lincoln City

Posh extended their desperate run to eight league matches without a win, and are still without a win on the road since August, as they were swept aside by the Imps who barely had to get out of second gear to see off their lack-lustre visitors.

Lincoln eased into 2-0 lead at the break and then extended their lead to 3-0 before Ricky-Jade Jones briefly raised Posh spirits with a close-range finish, but it was a false dawn and proved to be no more than a consolation as the home side went on to wrap up as comprehensive a victory.

The result sees Posh remain 19th in league one, two places and six points above the bottom four, who are now all locked on 21 points.

Boss Darren Ferguson made one change to the team that drew 1-1 with Exeter City at the Weston Hones Stadium on Tuesday night.

Recent signing Gustav Lindgren is the man to come into the starting line-up for his second league start, with Jones dropping to the bench.

Also named on the bench was Manchester City loan signing Mahamadou Susoho, who hadn't featured for Posh since the opening day of the season due to injury.

Lincoln's high profile new signing James Collins, captured on a free transfer from Championship strugglers Derby County in midweek, had to make do with a place on the home side's bench.

The match started in bright winter sunshine, but in a cagey opening there was zero goalmouth action in the opening exchanges, with the contrasting styles of both sides - Lincoln happy to hit long balls and Posh trying to play their way through the opposition - proving ineffective.

But with the first meaningful attack of the game on 12 minutes, Posh were behind after Sam Hughes was penalised for a robust challenge 25 yards out, level with the left edge of the penalty area.

From the resultant free-kick, Ben House had acres of space at the far post to head the ball across goal and into the path of the unmarked Dom Jefferies, who drilled his left-footed shot home, via a couple of deflections from Archie Collins and Emmanuel Fernandez, from eight yards out.

It was poor defending from Posh, and means they are still to keep a clean sheet away from home in any competition this season.

Posh were struggling to make any sort of attacking headway, with the midfield forced deep, but on 25 minutes the visitors were inches away from an equaliser out of the blue.

Lindgren was fouled 25 yards out, and it was Ryan De Havilland who stepped up to whip a dipping right-footed shot over the wall but unluckily for him it crashed against the top of the left-hand upright, with the ball bouncing kindly for Lincoln who cleared the danger.

Where De Havilland was unlucky, there was no such issue for Lincoln's Tom Bayliss on 33 minutes as he doubled his side's advantage with a stunning free-kick.

Fernandez was duped into making a clumsy foul on Freddie Draper in the centre of the pitch and 20 yards out, with Bayliss taking responsibility to sweetly strike the ball right-footed over the wall and into the top corner past the despairing dive of Posh keeper Nicholas Bilokapic.

Aside from De Havilland's free-kick, lack-lustre Posh had offered no threat, and when they did manage a couple of attacking flurries late in the half, with half-chances for De Havilland and Cian Hayes, they were snuffed out by timely blocks.

It meant Posh went in at the break 2-0 down, and they could have few complaints, with Lincoln barely breaking sweat and in cruise control.

Ferguson had seen enough and rang the changes for the second half, with Carl Johnston, Malik Mothersille and Collins all hooked, with Jones, George Nevett and Susoho entering the fray - Posh switching to a back three.

If the Posh boss had hoped the triple change would spark his side into life, he was wrong.

Posh were still pretty clueless, and 10 minutes into the second half they were 3-0 down after a horror moment for Hayes.

Running back towards his own goal, the Posh wide man got to a long punt over the top first, but a poor touch allowed Jefferies to nick the ball and Hayes, trying to rescue to situation, tripped the Lincoln man just inside the box to give away a penalty.

Draper took the spot-kick and smashed it past Bilokapic.

Posh needed a speedy response, and they got it on the hour.

Lindgren did superbly down the left to beat his man and create space, and his low cross was flicked home from close range by Jones to make it 3-1 and give the visitors a glimmer of hope.

That hope didn't last long though, as the Imps were 4-1 ahead just six minutes later, with former Posh man Hamilton claiming the goal with his first touch just a matter of seconds after coming on to the pitch.

Posh's chaotic defence failed miserably to deal with a long throw into the box, the ball dropped to Hamilton whose poor shot looked to be going wide until it hit Hayes and deflected into the net for what will surely go down as an own goal.

That goal knocked any remaining stuffing out of the Posh players, and there was still time for things to get even worse as Lincoln made it 5-1.

Substitute Donay O'Brien-Brady was caught in possession near halfway and Lincoln broke quickly, with Jovon Makama making the most of a three-on-two to tee up fellow sub Collins, who showed a touch of class to chip the ball over Bilokapic from the right side of the penalty area.

It was a 10th away league match in a row without a win for Posh, who have lost eight of those encounters, and it will be difficult for Ferguson to take any sort of positives from that performance.

Match facts

Lincoln City: Jeacock, Darikwa, Jackson, Erhahon, Bayliss (65m, Hamilton), McGrandles, O'Connor, Jefferies (79m, Hackett), House (79m, Makama), Roughan, Draper (65m, Collins). Subs: Pardington, Montsma. Ring

Posh: Bilokapic, Johnston (46m Jones), Edun, Hughes, Fernandez (76m, O'Brien-Brady), Collins (46m, Nevett), Mothersille (46m, Susoho), De Havilland (58m, Conn-Clarke), Hayes, Kyprianou, Lindgren. Subs not used: Blackmore, Odoh, Donay

Goals: Lincoln: 12 mins - Jefferies 1-0; 33 mins - Bayliss 2-0; 55 mins - Draper 3-0; 66 mins - Hayes OG - 4-1; 82 mins: Collins; Posh: 60 mins: Jones 3-1

Yellow cards: Lincoln: 39 mins - Bayliss; 73 mins: O'Connor; Posh: 33 mins - Johnston