Lincoln City manager, David Holdsworth has spoken out about his side’s game against Stockport County on Saturday, October 27th.
He commented that there should be “a lot of credit for the players on the way they acted,” following a very breath-taking and incident filled match.
After taking a first half lead, Holdsworth thought things were going well as they entered the break: “I thought we were very comfortable at half time. Ironically, I asked if we could keep a clean sheet and we conceded three. We didn’t see it coming and we must address that.”
Holdsworth also commented on the player’s overall performance. He said: “We played some good football against a very direct side. We did plenty enough to have won the game.”
However, when asked about the penalty controversy at the start of the second half, he questioned the rules of the game: “Is there a rule that if a player is through on goal in a goal-scoring opportunity, and is brought down, an interpretation of the rule?”
“I believe the rule is correct. There should at least be a yellow card and he didn’t even get spoken to, which is strange really. So that’s the way I saw it, and I think every one of our fans saw it that way, including the opposition.”
The resulting penalty, which was taken by Alan Power, was blazed over. Holdsworth said: “He’ll be disappointed with himself, but these things happen.”
The referee was at the centre of the controversy within the game. Following the referee’s response to Lincoln City youth coach, Grant Brown after the game, Holdsworth commented: “I’ll remain private on that one.”
He added: “I think it’s the best thing we should do because he’s an official, and we must respect him. Well, respect his views anyway. I didn’t respect what he did on the pitch because, consequently, the opposition goalkeeper should have been sent off.”
However, the incident between Jake Sheridan and Stockport County’s Turnbull sparked a bit of a response from Holdsworth. The Imps boss said: “Two wrongs don’t make a right. If a player is goaded but I smack you in the face for it because you goad me, then I’m alright am I? Well I’m not, because I’ve acted in an unprofessional manner and should be dealt with consequently.”
However, Holdsworth ended on a very positive note, praising the team in a number of ways: “They’re a fantastic bunch to use and to work with, so they’ll be disappointed with the result. That’s five games unbeaten and we’ll take a lot of credit for that.
“I’m pleased for the players. We’re very grateful for the fans’ support. They can see how hard these boys try. From our point of view, I’m pleased for the players, the supporters and everyone associated with the club.”
His final comment summed up the Imps’ attitude in recent weeks greatly, saying: “If you’ve got no character, you can’t come back from that.”
Lincoln City’s next match is a home game against Walsall this Saturday, November 3rd.