Joe Bursik gets a settling touch in the Lincoln goal, stepping out to claim a Jordan Jones cross from the right.

Took that coolly. Not enough curl on that one from Jones.

There's a real pace to the game so far.

Both sides are using their big forwards, Tom Hopper and Charlie Wyke as focal points and looking to play off that.

Here come Sunderland, ah, that's a sloppy pass from the left side and Lincoln snap it up.

Morgan Rogers is not shy of running at defenders and carves his way through the Sunderland midfield.

It's a scuffed shot wide though from the winger.

Adam Jackson is now down for Lincoln, not much of a birthday present to limp off already. Lewis Montsma is coming on.

Image source, PA Media

Don't know if it's a regular feature of games at Sincil Bank as it's been a few years since I went to a match but there was an air-raid siren going off as that corner went in.

Clever work from Lincoln when they get in and around the box, Anthony Scully turns the ball round the corner with the side of his boot but more rugged authority from Tom Flanagan turns it away.

The wingers on both sides look dangerous, McGeady and Jones for Sunderland and Scully and Rogers for Lincoln.

So, that is it for Denver Hume, as Callum McFadzean comes on for the Black Cats.

He's straight into the mix with the corner.

Lincoln striker Tom Hopper makes a really smart run into the left channel and Tayo Edun picks him out.

The striker plays the ball off Tom Flanagan for a corner.

Bit of a delay as Denver Hume receives treatment for a leg injury. Maybe a bit of an early reshuffle to come...

Finally a chance to breathe as Sunderland calm things down a bit with some ball movement in midfield.

Charlie Wyke drops deep to link up play, then Aiden McGeady is released just outside the box, but his dink over the top looking for Lynden Gooch doesn't have enough backspin to dip back.

Lincoln break at pace as Jorge Grant picks out Anthony Scully in the box, and the Imps winger hits a thumping scorcher which Lee Burge looked to have tipped over but it's a goal-kick.

All started by Tayo Edun muscling his way down the left and setting the platform.

Home side look buoyed by a really noisy crowd.

Really open start.

Sunderland pour forward after Tayo Edun loses it to Jordan Jones, and then Aiden McGeady raps a shot into the shins of the Lincoln defender before him.

Then Lincoln break, and it takes the telescopic leg of Tom Flanagan to stop the livewire Anthony Scully from bursting through.

We've seen a little inkling of how Sunderland are going to approach this tonight, which is to get the ball forward to Charlie Wyke and look to pick up the second ball.

Sunderland got spooked then by a long ball through the middle which just wouldn't break for Brennan Johnson, and Regan Poole's cross from the right was blocked.

Lively start.

Image source, PA Media

Right then.

Formalities? Check. Pre-match huddle? Check.

After 46 games, it's down to this... win three games and you're in the Championship.

Craig Hicks is the referee. Here we go.

Sunderland get us under way.

The atmosphere at Sincil Bank looks fantastic, especially the big side stand at Lincoln.

Real buzz about the game.

With the most recent lifting of coronavirus restrictions, Lincoln and Sunderland will both see a return of crowds at each leg of their play-off semi-final, starting with tonight's game at LNER Stadium.

There will be 3,145 in the ground, all whom had to apply by ballot.

As we saw during Lincoln's FA Cup run to the quarter-finals in 2017, this place can really rock when there's a crowd in. Playing in an atmosphere will be a novel dimension after 14 months of silence.

Sunderland, with a 46,000 season ground, can welcome up to 10,000 for Saturday's return fixture.

Image source, Getty Images

When Sunderland lifted the EFL Trophy at Wembley in mid-March with victory over Tranmere, they were riding the crest of a wave which gave genuine promise of promotion back to the Championship.

However, a dramatic tail-off in form at the back-end of the season resulted in just one win in the last eight games and having to settle for a play-off spot.

One good omen is that Lincoln have not won any of the three meetings between the two teams in 2020-21, one of which was the semi-final penalty shoot-out success in the EFL Trophy.

And, having a near-30-goal striker Charlie Wyke helps. He scored twice in a 4-0 win at Sincil Bank earlier in the campaign. That just happened to be Lee Johnson's first win as manager too.

Image source, Getty Images

Whether it's been the lack of crowds, or the approach of away teams coming to Sincil Bank, Lincoln's home form has seen them lose nine games this season.

Tellingly, they picked up just two wins in their final 11 League One games on home turf.

They are only the second team to lose that many games and still finish in the top-six in Football League history. And, impressively, they've only been out of the upper echelons once all season.

Michael Appleton's side were in with a shout of automatic promotion but a six-game run without a win throughout March and early April stalled that.

Hull and Peterborough picked up form too, and the Imps were left with the lottery of the play-offs instead after they let a 3-0 lead slip against the Posh in the penultimate game.

Jorge Grant (pictured above) is their chief goal threat, Anthony Scully and Brennan Johnson are also capable of a finish and big centre-half Lewis Montsma is also a useful supply-line.

Image source, Getty Images

No time for pleasantries for Stoke goalkeeper Joe Bursik tonight, as he's thrown straight into duty for Lincoln after arriving as an emergency loanee.

The England Under-21 international is no slouch, playing 15 Championship games for his parent club and he also helped Peterborough to success in his six appearances for the Posh.

Can he help another club to promotion this season?

Joe Bursik is for his Lincoln debut after signing on emergency loan while Adam Jackson is also back - having celebrated his 27th birthday yesterday.

Ex-Sunderland midfielder Liam Bridcutt anchors the midfield.

Sunderland restore Aiden McGeady and Tom Flanagan to the starting XI.

Jack Diamond is on the bench.

Lincoln: Bursik, Poole, Jackson, Eyoma, Edun, Bridcutt, Grant, Johnson, Rogers, Scully, Hopper

Subs: Long, Montsma, Sanders, Bramall, McGrandles, Morton, Anderson

Sunderland: Burge, O'Nien, Wright, Flanagan, Hume, Power, Scowen, McGeady, Jones, Wyke, Gooch

Subs: Matthews, Maguire, Diamond, Leadbitter, McFadzean, Winchester, Stewart

Not long to go before we get under way tonight.

Let's get some context on where we are.

Image source, Getty Images

Like vampires (and some nervy keepers) and crosses, or Superman and Kryptonite, there is one thing that Lincoln City and Sunderland fans can truly agree to hate. The play-offs. A dreaded fear.

There was a time when it was an annual event for the Imps. Between 2003 and 2007, the men from Sincil Bank made it to the end of season showdown five seasons on the trot, only to come up short. They then suffered the same fate in 2018.

Black Cats can be lucky charms, but not in this particular promotion battle. Even when they ended up being promoted in 1990, it was after defeat by Swindon and only by virtue of illegal payments on the Robins' part.

Otherwise, it's just been misery, usually at Wembley. 1990, 1998, 2004, 2019.

So with that in mind, spare a thought for both sets of fans. It'll be heartbreak again for someone - at latest by Saturday.