Opposition view: Lincoln 'had to dig really deep' to see off Cobblers, admits Skubala
Lincoln manager Michael Skubala acknowledged his side were forced to ‘dig really deep’ for Tuesday’s 1-0 victory over Northampton at Sixfields.
Freddie Drapper’s magnificent 20th-minute volley gave Lincoln what was a deserved lead at the time following their bright start, but from that point on the game was played almost exclusively in the away side’s half.
The Imps did not take a single shot after the 24th minute while Cobblers generated a number of decent opportunities but they all went by the wayside as their search for a first win of the season goes on.
"We had to dig really deep," said Skubala. "It wasn't a pretty game at all. But we have a group of great characters and they saw it out brilliantly. I thought we started the game really well, we worked it well and scored a superb goal and there were a couple of other chances, but we just stopped playing a little bit and that played into their hands.
"It became a war of attrition in the second half but there were some magnificent performances at the back – I thought Sonny Bradley in particular was a monster. Northampton put it on us and landed on seconds but the defence is a proper unit and they all want to defend well and there's nothing better than a clean sheet for defenders.
"George Wickens made some fantastic saves in goal and in the end it's a brilliant win away from home. There are still things we can improve on and I'd like to see us play a bit more and be more brave when we’re 1-0 up, but overall it's a good job well done."