A determined Chris Sutton has told Lincoln City fans that he will do all he can to get the club ready to challenge higher up the League Two table next season.
The Imps brought an end to the 2009-10 season on Saturday with a 0-0 draw against fellow strugglers Macclesfield, but the Lincoln manager is already looking ahead to the new season.
“We all see the same game. We must do better. In that respect we will look to freshen things up for next season,” said the Imps boss, who admitted his priority would be to bring in some strikers.
“I think that is natural. We do not want to be in this position again. We need to work as hard as we possibly can to get new faces in. It won’t be easy for us budget-wise, but I will do my best. I’m hungry to do well and move this club forward.”
The draw with the Silkmen was not the most entertaining of League Two battles. Sutton acknowledged that, but still felt his side deserved to sign off with a win.
“It was a real classic,” said a sarcastic Sutton after the game.
“There’s not a lot to say. I thought we played better with ten men, which is quite unusual. On balance we probably deserved to win the game, without ever doing it nicely,” he continued.
Davide Somma was sent off in the second half for an alleged head butt but but Sutton felt that the other player involved, Macclesfield’s Sean Hessey, should also have seen red.
“There’s no doubt that Davide was hit first. It looked like he reacted, but I don’t know whether the heads touched. He got a straight red and I don’t really know how the other bloke (Hessey) stayed on the pitch, but that’s the way it goes,” said the Lincoln boss.
Despite Somma’s disappointing exit from Sincil Bank, Sutton went on to praise the South African’s influence on the club’s successful bid to avoid relegation.
“He’s done very, very well for us. He was probably the difference between us staying in this league and not.”
The players and staff at Lincoln City will now head for a well-deserved break, before returning for pre-season training on June 28th. But that rest will not come without restrictions—Sutton has issued the players with strict fitness regimes to continue over the summer period.
Visit The Linc on Monday for interviews with Young Player of the Year Cian Hughton and Player of the Year Rob Burch.