Lincoln boss Mark Kennedy has called for a “reaction” from his players when they face Wanderers on Friday night.

The Imps suffered a 3-0 defeat at Burton on Boxing Day after goals from Sam Hughes, Jonny Smith and Victor Adeboyejo.

Kennedy, who took charge at Lincoln back in May, felt their decision making let them down “massively” at the Pirelli Stadium.

But the former Manchester City coach believes his side have what it takes to bounce back when Bolton come to town.

He told the club’s website: “I want to stay balanced on what I have seen so far this season, which tends to be evidence of what you are doing or where you are going.

“One game will not define us. We are not happy with the performance but there will be a reaction. 

“We are a close group and I am already looking forward to Friday because there needs to be a reaction, and there will be a reaction. I think our players have proven that every time this year.”

Despite the result against Burton, Kennedy felt there were some positives to take from their second-half display.

“The one thing they never do is give up, they will never roll over and die. I did think we were particularly passive in the first half, but they never go missing,” he added.

“I thought we gave a decent account of ourselves in the second half, but unfortunately the game was out of reach by then. I thought we needed an early goal which we didn’t get.”

Lincoln are currently 14th in the League One table, although they have played at least one game fewer than most of the sides around them.

Ian Evatt’s men recorded a 2-0 victory when the sides met at the UniBol back in October, with Dion Charles and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson both getting on the scoresheet that day.

The Whites have won their last three matches against the Imps, with their last defeat in the fixture coming in January 2020.

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