Former Sunderland midfielder Liam Bridcutt says teams 'hate playing' against the Imps this season.
The Lincoln City skipper has called for his side to take some "arrogance" into their play-off semi-final clash with the Black Cats.
The 32-year-old, who made 30 appearances at the Stadium of Light, is the most experienced player in Michael Appleton's young side, but has called on them to head into the tie with confidence.
Speaking to Lincolnshire Live, Bridcutt said: “I’m always here to help the lads off the pitch. For me, it’s just about keeping calm and being ready.
“We just need to keep doing what we’ve been doing, don’t change.
“You’ve got to have that confidence, even a bit of arrogance, that you’re a better team.
“We know that, when we’re firing, doing the right things and the concentration is there, there are not many teams who can live with us.
“We’ve shown that against the top two teams [ Hull City and Peterborough United], who have been promoted. They absolutely hated playing us – and that’s come from their own players. No-one wants to play us.”
Bridcutt says promotion with the Imps would be one of the standout moments of his career.
“It’s a season we’ll never forget," he said. "We’re ahead of schedule in terms of where we wanted to be as a group. We’ve ticked that box.
“With the pandemic and the games we’ve had to cram in, if we push on and do what we need to do, it would be incredible.
“It would be some achievement with everything we’ve had to deal with over the last 12 months. It would be up with one of the best [moments in his career].”
