Lincoln City’s next opponents have “an abundance of talent”, according to their manager Gary Simpson.
Speaking at the club’s pre-match press conference, Simpson admitted it was going to a tough game at Luton on Saturday.
The Imps moved up to fourth in the Skrill Premier following a 1-0 win over Southport. Despite Nick Wright’s penalty miss, the Imps boss was full of praise for his side.
“[I am] delighted with them, that’s the spirit they’ve got at the minute,” he said. “We’ve played some unbelievable stuff. They put their bodies on the line and you can’t compliment them high enough.
“Some of the passing and movement we have has been terrific. How we’ve tried to play has been as good as anything in the league and the so-called passing teams.”
Simpson also took time to praise some of his team’s “athletes” such as Jake Sheridan, Ben Tomlinson and Sean Newton but admitted some of his squad members need to get back to “their peak”.
“We’ll need them all [players], they’ll be 50 odd games hopefully [during the season]”, he continued.
Lincoln’s manager described Luton’s squad as “unbelievable”, pointing out that the Hatters have conceded four goals in their nine matches so far, giving them the best defensive record in the league.
Despite the fact that Luton sit in 11th position, Simpson said that it was simply a case of “waiting for players to click.”
Summer signing Waide Fairhurst played no part in their triumph over Southport but Simpson explained that the club were trying to “get him back in good nick”. “We want him firing on all cylinders,” he added.
He continued: “We’ve got a good group of lads, wherever I’ve been we’ve managed to do that. It’s great when people come to work with a smile on their face.”
Despite being six points off the top of the league, Simpson admitted it was “a tough start” to the season.
“In the opening month I said to the players if we get through the first month and we put some points on the board, we could surprise one or two people,” he revealed.
He added: “It was a tough start. The second month is equally as tough. There are no easy games in this league. Anybody can beat anybody on the day.”
Sheridan also spoke at the conference, admitting that Luton will be “under pressure” to win on Saturday. “We’ve just got to be ourselves,” he said.
The winger echoed his manager’s praise for striker Ben Tomlinson, who has scored three goals so far. “He works his socks off. He’s got the energy but he’s got the quality as well,” he said.
Despite being substituted on Tuesday after receiving knocks, Sheridan said that he should be fit to play at Kenilworth Road.
“You know what to expect when you go to Luton,” he continued. “Playing at Luton can only inspire you to do better. We’ve got to go there confident and looking for a win”
After their impressive start, he described Lincoln as a team “they [other sides] look forward to playing” and added how “competitive” the Skrill Premier is.
Lincoln City take on Luton Town at Kenilworth Road on this afternoon, before a trip to Hereford this Tuesday. Their next home game will be against Hyde on Saturday, September 28th.