Lincoln City’s interim head coach Tom Shaw spoke about a “pleasing” performance, as his side came back to beat Michael Appleton’s Charlton Athletic 3-1.
He said: “It’s a really pleasing night for the group.”
“Some of the stuff that happened tonight gave the supporters, who were magnificent, something to get behind. It was a really good night for everyone involved.” he added.
The Imps went behind in the first ten minutes, to an Alfie May goal, before mounting their comeback. Tom Shaw said: “The goal was a speed bump.” And added: “The most pleasing thing of the whole night was that we passed our way out of that speed bump, out of that problem, at 0-1.”
The comeback came as a result of a Hakeeb Adelakun brace, who has transformed this season from a player out in the cold at the beginning to a key forward in recent games.
Shaw said: “He’s a great bloke. He’s trains properly and carries himself with real class.” And added: “I thought he was sparkling and caused real problems. He’s a bag of tricks and he’s a handful on his day. I thought he was brilliant tonight.”
The victory secured Lincoln’s first back-to-back wins since August, coming at the expense of Michael Appleton’s unbeaten run as Charlton boss.
Speaking to LincSport, Shaw said: “We’ve been brilliant in both penalty areas. Perhaps, we could have been a bit more clinical in there’s at times tonight, but that’s something we can practice, work on and get better at.”
Lasse Sorensen was another star of the result, playing as a make-shift member of the front-three. Shaw described the decision to play the Dane there as a calculated risk. He was very pleased with Sorensen’s performance, and said: “Have you seen anybody run like that, for that long?”
Loanee Jake Vale made his Lincoln City debut, coming off the bench for the last half an hour of the game. The interim boss was very pleased with Vale’s performance. He said: “We’re really excited. His minutes will keep building and progressing.”
Unfortunately for the Imps, Vale has been replaced on the injured list by Reeco Hackett. His hamstring injury is expected to keep him out of action for a run of games.
Ted Bishop was also missing from the squad on Tuesday night, but the outlook is more positive for the midfielder. Shaw said: “Teddy, we’re hoping we can spin around for the weekend.”
The Imps showed a determined and physical side in the game. “There’s been a few throwback tackles. It’s been quite pleasing, they’ve done it safely and well, but some big hits in there and a couple of great tackles that people celebrate like a goal when it happens.” Shaw said.
Lincoln City travel to Devon on Saturday in search of another victory, against an out-of-form Exeter City.
Shaw said: “We’ve got to get hungry for another three points, down in the South West, and hopefully we will be up for the challenge.” Adding: “We have a group that’s got a bit of belief. But, we’ve got to fight for another three points at Exeter.”