Why Sheffield Wednesday’s clash at Lincoln City has been moved – warning to Owls fans over tickets

Wednesday head into the match third in the table and have sold out their away allocation at Sincil Bank.

The Star understands the kick-off time was moved forward on police advice and after conversations between the local authorities and the two clubs after disturbances in last season’s fixture saw six match goers arrested – to avoid the potential of trouble from a ‘tiny minority’ of supporters of both sides.

There were also reports of disorder in the city centre and at Lincoln train station in the hours after the match.

It is also understood that Lincoln will carry out a similar entry vetting process to last season, in which Wednesday fans attempting to purchase seats in the Lincoln home end may find their tickets cancelled.

Superintendent Lee Pache from Lincolnshire Police said: “We work very closely with Lincoln City Football Club to ensure that everyone can enjoy our city and the match safely.

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“We recognise that fans are only interested in supporting their clubs and have absolutely no intention of acting anti-socially or committing crime.

“Unfortunately, there is a tiny minority that can have a big impact due to their intention to commit crime and disorder, which is why a significant number of specialist police resources will be working.

“We know that alcohol can be a contributing factor and an earlier kick off aims to limit the amount of drinking time pre-match to help everyone enjoy our city and the match safely.”