Lincoln City v Sunderland: Michael Appleton reveals training ground insight and injury latest

Sunderland head to Lincoln on Wednesday evening for the 6pm kick-off in the first leg of the League One play-off semi-final, with the second leg taking place at the Stadium of Light the following Saturday.

Ahead of the game, Appleton has revealed the latest on the injury front and given an insight into the mood within the Lincoln camp.

He said: “We’ve got a reasonably clean bill of health.

“You can tell it’s play-off time because everyone wants to be in the team.

“There’s just an edge, one or two tackles flying in. They look bright and sharp to be fair.

"None of them are going over the top but there’s definitely been a rise in the standard in the last couple of days.

“Players like Liam Bridcutt, they train how they play. But some players who are not renowned for doing that are chomping at the bit.”

And on the injury front, Appleton revealed: “The only possible problem we might have is Joe Walsh.

“But I still think he’ll be fine. He was little bit sore after training [Wednesday] but has come in today feeling a bit better.

“As a precaution, we didn’t do anything with him and I’m sure he’ll improve over the next 24-48 hours. We’ll then wrap him up in cotton wool to make sure he is ready come game time.

“He seems quite relaxed about it but, with the position we’re in at the moment, it would be a risk to keep him going [in training].”

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