Tendayi Darikwa says Lincoln City are just focusing on themselves, as they continue to keep pace with the early league leaders.
The Imps sit four points behind top-placed Birmingham City, who they face in their next league outings, and just two points off the automatic promotion spots.
Speaking after victory over Leyton Orient, the wing-back said: “We just focus on ourselves and keep trying to tick off the games as they come. We’re in a healthy position so far, and we will have a little break and focus on the next games.”
A Much Improved Second-Half:
Darikwa was quizzed on a relatively poor first-half display from the Lincoln City side. He replied: “It’s fair to say we underperformed to our standards in the first-half. But, Leyton Orient are a good team, I don’t think their league position reflects the quality they have got in their team
“We came in at half-time and we spoke about what we can do better, and in the second-half you could see the improvements.”
Revealing what was in the team talk that led the Imps to a resurgent burst of energy in the early goings of the second-half, Darikwa said: “It was frustration really. We’ve obviously set a high standard for ourselves, we knew how much quality we have got in the squad and we underperformed… we had a few words with each other and came out in the second-half to make a statement.”
“Happy for Jovon”:
Darikwa spoke about the two young Imps goalscorers, Freddie Draper and Jovon Makama, who led their team to victorty. The latter took lots of praise, after opening his SkyBet League One account for the term.
Darikwa said: “I’m happy for Jovon to get off the mark in the league. I think his performances have been really good of late, and hopefully that can kickstart his season and keep scoring goals.
“He’s young, but he’s got all the attributes to get to the very top. I’m pushing him every day, probably getting on his nerves a little bit. But, I see how much potential he has got, and when he plays like he did today and the previous games, I’m sure the sky is the limit for him.”
Lincoln City Digging Deep:
The Imps had to dig deep, by Darikwa own admission, to keep a hold of their three points. A late flurry of pressure from Orient looked to threaten Lincoln’s lead, but they were able to see out the win in the end.
He said: “You have to dig in, it’s tough when it’s 2-0. Leyton Orient are a good team, and it was a good goal by them, but it shows the character we have got in the squad to keep digging in until the last minute.”
The win adds a seventh game to City’s unbeaten streak, but the former Wigan Athletic full-back is not concerned with those sorts of statistics.
Darikwa said: “We’re not focusing on an unbeaten run as such, we are just taking each game as it comes. It’s another game ticked off, and another three points. We are in a good position now, and we will focus on the next games and hopefully keep improving.”
Lincoln City return to league action against Birmingham City on Saturday, October 19.
Feature Image Credit: Graham Burrell