West Ham United need to bounce back quickly. A 1-1 draw at home to Queens Park Rangers on Friday cost them second place in the Championship, and Wednesday's trip to Lincoln City (kick-off 20:00) is their first chance to put that right. The numbers around this fixture tell a story that cuts both ways.

A fixture 67 years in the making

This will be the first league meeting between Lincoln City and West Ham United since December 1957, when the Hammers won 6-1. That is not merely a trivia footnote; it underlines just how rare an occasion this is for the Imps and their supporters. The two clubs have met since in cup football, but in the league this is genuinely uncharted modern territory for both sets of fans.

West Ham's overall record against Lincoln in all competitions is commanding: seven meetings, five wins and two draws, with no defeat. The most recent was a 1-0 League Cup third-round victory in September 2023. Unbeaten sequences can end, of course, and one decent cup run should not be mistaken for a reliable guide to Championship form. Still, the Hammers will arrive with confidence backed by the historical record.

Lincoln's home problem

For the Imps, the concern is sharpening. Lincoln have failed to win any of their opening four home league games this season, a run they have not endured since 2004-05, when they failed to win their first five home league matches. A two-match losing run adds further urgency. Home form in the Championship is currency; without it, even the most organised side finds itself dragged into a relegation conversation sooner than expected.

It would be premature to draw sweeping conclusions from four games, but four winless home matches is not a blip, it is a pattern that deserves attention. Lincoln's manager will know it too.

West Ham's away record under the microscope

West Ham, meanwhile, are targeting an unwanted piece of history avoidance of their own. They are chasing a fourth occasion in the 21st century in which they have gone unbeaten in their first five away league games of a season, having achieved it in 2011-12 (in the Championship), 2015-16 and 2021-22. Four away games into this season, that record remains intact.

Whether that run is a genuine indicator of quality or simply a product of a favourable sequence of fixtures is the right question to ask. Four games is not a large enough sample to declare anything settled. A visit to a Lincoln side desperate for a home win will be a rather better test than the games that preceded it.

Newly promoted opponents: a West Ham speciality

One further number is worth highlighting. West Ham have won each of their last five league games against newly promoted opponents. That includes a 3-2 victory at Bolton already this season. Lincoln, promoted to the Championship, represent another newly promoted side on that list.

Patterns in football are comforting until the moment they are not. Five from five against promoted clubs sounds impressive, but Lincoln will not take the field thinking of themselves as a statistic to be extended. The Imps need points, they need a home win, and they need to arrest a losing run. That is a combination that can produce an unexpectedly competitive evening.

What Wednesday means in the table

West Ham dropped to third after the QPR draw. Three points on Wednesday would put pressure on the sides above them and re-establish their automatic promotion credentials. For Lincoln, three points would represent their first home win of the season and go some way to steadying a campaign that has started to look precarious at Sincil Bank. Both clubs need this result for entirely different reasons, which usually makes for the most watchable Championship football.

Four games of current form, in either direction, proves very little. What happens under the lights on Wednesday will matter rather more.

Frequently asked

When is Lincoln City vs West Ham United on Wednesday?
The match kicks off at 20:00 BST on Wednesday evening.
What is West Ham's league record away from home this season?
West Ham were unbeaten in their first four away league games of the season heading into the Lincoln City fixture, and are targeting a fifth consecutive away game without defeat.
How are Lincoln City doing at home this season?
Lincoln have failed to win any of their first four home league games of the season, their worst such start since 2004-05.