Player shares 'tough' admission ahead of West Ham United game v Lincoln

Lincoln City captain Paudie O'Connor believes his side will be in for a "tough" game when they host West Ham on Wednesday (27 September).

Speaking to BBC Radio Lincolnshire on Tuesday (26 September), the 26-year-old defender said the Hammers have recruited well on the back of the Europa Conference League success under David Moyes last season.

The Irishman added that the Irons have started this campaign well, but that the Imps have "come up with a plan" to try and secure a win in the third-round Carabao Cup tie at Sincil Bank.

"I think over the last couple of years, as we've seen under Moyes, they've recruited well off the back of a big European success last year and obviously the money generated from that and the sale of Declan Rice," said O'Connor.

"They have recruited well again and started the season pretty well on the whole, so it will be a tough game, but I think one that no doubt we'll enjoy. We've done our homework and come up with a plan so, hopefully, we can implement that."

Up for the fight

There is no doubt that the West Ham players are going to have to be up for a fight when they make the trip to Lincolnshire on Wednesday.

The hosts will be looking to not give them an inch and allow the Hammers to find any fluidity in the opening stages of the game.

But it's down to the Irons players to stand up to the challenge, with their quality likely to eventually shine through if they remain patient and don't give anything away.

There will be an opportunity for a number of fringe players to go out there and prove why they deserve to be playing more minutes in the first team.

It's also a chance for the team to get back to winning ways domestically on the back of a couple of tricky games against Manchester City and Liverpool as the fixtures continue to come thick and fast.

In other West Ham news, a celebrity fan has raged at what Moyes did in the defeat against Liverpool.