– Dan Brown contributed to this report.
Lincoln City coach, Grant Brown was full of praise for his players, as the Imps extended their unbeaten run to ten games with a 3-2 win against Hereford United on Saturday, November 17th.
The victory at The 12th Imps Sincil Bank stadium was City’s third consecutive league success, and lifted them to ninth place in the Blue Square Bet Premier, just four places from a play-off spot.
The opening goal came in first half stoppage time, courtesy of an audacious 35-yard lob from in-form striker, Jamie Taylor. The strike came at the end of a quiet first half, and Brown felt it changed the game: “It was a great pass by Gary Mills and a great run from Jake Sheridan to get there and put the defender under pressure.”
He continued: “It was a really good finish, I didn’t think it was going to make it, but it just sneaked over the line. It was a fantastic time to score, right on the stroke of half time. It gives you something to hold on to, because Hereford are a good side.”
Brown was also delighted with the impact the substitutes made. With the game finely balanced at 1-1 with 23 minutes remaining, manager, David Holdsworth brought on Vadaine Oliver and Colin Larkin. Oliver’s flick on led to Joe Heath heading into his own net, before Larkin converted the penalty that sealed the point.
“When substitutes come on the pitch, you want them to make an impact,” Brown said. “They both certainly did that; Colin with his penalty and Vadaine with his physical presence in the box.”
Brown believes Lincoln’s recent form has lifted the entire club, and with more spectators coming through the turnstiles as a result, he hopes the feel-good factor can help push the side on: “It’s good to see the fans coming back. They’ve been fantastic on this run, away and at home. The more we get in, the more chance we have of winning games.”
Speaking of the atmosphere produced by the fans, Brown said: “It gives such a lift to the players. We ask them to come in and do it for the fans, to show respect to the fans, and they’re doing that. It’s a good time to be a Lincoln City supporter.
“The chairman can walk around town safely now, he’s not afraid to be seen out and about.”
While the Imps are sitting in ninth spot, the remarkably tight league table means they are still just six points clear of the drop zone. Brown insists that there is still a long way to go, and has warned against any complacency from the players.
He said: “We haven’t done anything yet. It’s November still, we’re ninth in the table which is a better position than we’ve been in for quite a long time. We need to propel that; we need to move forward, keep winning games and not rest on our laurels.
“If we get to January and we’re still up there, we can look to strengthen or kick on with the players we’ve got.”
Lincoln now have a two-week break from league football, as they travel to Tamworth in the FA Trophy, before entertaining Mansfield Town in the FA Cup second round.