LINCOLN boss Michael Appleton has claimed that Ipswich are the best side in League One “by a distance”.

Appleton’s men suffered a 2-0 defeat at Portman Road last night after first-half goals from Wes Burns and Kayden Jackson.

The Tractor Boys are now unbeaten in their last eight league matches and currently sit ninth in the league table – four points above Wanderers.

There are several teams still in the hunt for a place in the top six come the end of April, but Appleton insists Kieran McKenna’s side are the best they have faced this term.

“I think we just got beat by a really good team, and that’s a fact,” said the Lincoln chief.

“We played a good side who are in a good moment. You can see why they’d only conceded one in seven going into the game. You can see why they’ve scored goals.

“For me, they’re comfortably the best side in this division by a distance, judging on what I’ve seen tonight.

“We’ve got some big games coming up against the likes of Rotherham and Sunderland, and they won’t cause us the amount of problems that this side did.

“Fair play to them, sometimes you’ve got to hold your hands up and admit you’ve come up against a good side who are in a better place than us at this moment in time.”

Wanderers recorded a 2-0 win against Ipswich at the UniBol back in January thanks to goals from Kieran Lee and Dapo Afolayan.

The Whites also came out on top when the sides met at Portman Road earlier this season following an emphatic 5-2 victory.

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