Maybe, for a brief moment at the start of the second half, there were glimpses the Imps might get back into it, but they were just that – glimpses. It was the visitors who had the first effort of the half, a long-range drive being spilled by Palmer, who recovered and took it at the second attempt.

The Imps best moments of the half came n quick succession. Anderson and Gotts combined to earn a corner, which fell to Edun who drove high and wide. Jorge Grant whipped in a free kick from the attacking left which Burge punched over, and finally James Jones sliced a drive over from a corner. That all came in the space of five minutes and it as the sum total of the Imps’ positive work in the second half.

It was, to all intents and purposes, a rubbish second half for Lincoln fans. Sunderland completely dictated the pace of the game, and were able to make four changes from their deep squad. Michael, with Shrewsbury up in midweek, only made two in total, and that showed as City got leggy and disjointed throughout the game.

There were few chances in the second period for the visitors, and not one of note for the Imps. On 71 minutes, Sunderland worked a fourth, Maguire skinning Edun down the attacking right and finding Wyke who poked home.  It might be easy to say it wasn’t a 4-0 game, but to be honest I can’t agree. Sunderland completely controlled the game from the penalty onwards, and could easily have lost by six or seven.

Of course, with a four-point gap between us and the play-off places, it doesn’t mean we slip down the table, and with Hull City losing 1-0 to Shrewsbury we don’t lose sight of them either, which makes the result almost bearable. Almost.

It isn’t bearable though, because it could have been different. Had we taken one of those opening chances, both one-on-one and clear cut, it might have been very different. I can’t go on about the penalty, whether it was or wasn’t, because we have been on the other side of those moments and benefited. Besides, Sunderland always looked like they were capable of controlling proceedings and were good value for the win away from the penalty. I don’t, not for a single second, feel if it hadn’t been given the outcome would have been any different.

I do wonder if the games are beginning to take their toll on the Imps. Jones and Montsma both had knocks in midweek and didn’t look at their best. Gotts didn’t get a chance to impress himself in the midfield and often we looked to lack the running of McGrandles. This was a game won and lost in the middle of the park – control that area and you control the feed of passes out wide. Sunderland won it, we never got a grip and the battle of youth against experience I talked about on Match Day Live was won by the experienced players.

Sometimes, you hold your hands up and say, ‘fair play’, we were beaten by a better side. I do think we were off form though, lots of passes going astray and a lack of ideas from 55 minutes onwards. Maybe it is the squad tiring, but this was almost as strong as we can be in terms of selection. However, when you have McGrandles, Jackson, Morton and Bridcutt all out, it apparently does show.

I hate the saying ‘we go again’, but we go again. We are still second and whatever negativity there is in the air after a losing 4-0 at home should be tempered by the fact we are still second and we are massively outperforming expectations. If anything, this should be used as a positive – we might have lost 4-0 but the level of disappointment underlines exactly where we are. This is Sunderland, one of the biggest clubs in the country, and we expected to go into it and get something from it. They’ve beaten us 4-0 and are still below us, and we have been thrashed and not lost our position in the table.

I’m sure some aspects of social media will implode, but I can also imagine that 75% of the support will understand where we are and keep some perspective. That said, I hate losing and it is never easy to accept.

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