Reeco Hackett said Lincoln City’s 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town gives the Imps’ confidence going into next season.
The forward scored the only goal of the game at the LNER Stadium from a yard out after Tom Bayliss’ corner was brilliantly flicked on by Adam Jackson at the near post.
Despite frustrating periods in the game, it was three points that saw Michael Skubala’s side prove they can compete with those near the business end of the table and beat a promotion chasing outfit.
Hackett said: “We’re playing teams we can compare ourselves with, Huddersfield are competing in the top six and we beat them today. Wycombe, we competed really well and should have nicked something, so it gives us an indication of where we’re at and gives us confidence going into next season.”
Set pieces crucial for the Imps:
He could not miss to score the winning goal from close range, joking: “We’ll take what we can get to this point don’t we. But no, it was a good ball in, and I saw Jacko [Adam Jackson] flick it and I just always thought I was getting there and just had to make sure.”
Lincoln have now scored more than any other side in League One from set-pieces this season.
On rehearsing them, Hackett said: “It was a set-piece routine, we’ve worked really hard on that, and you can tell because of the amount we’ve scored and not conceded.
“When you see the hard work paying off, everyone really buys into working on them. Everyone is fully focused because we know the opportunity we could have from set pieces.”
Professional performance:
While the overall display was not City’s best, Hackett was pleased with how the Imps saw it out after going ahead.
“I think defensively we’ve been really good and that showed again today. We’ve just cut out the mistakes and taken a chance and it looks completely different,” he said. “We’ve been in our last two games, and we felt like we should have got more from the Wycombe game. We’ve just defended better tonight in both boxes and attacked better and got the three points.”
New more attacking role:
The former Portsmouth man has been given almost a free role in the number ten position in Skubala’s new 4-2-3-1 system.
He has enjoyed being further back on the pitch, and explained: “It’s definitely been while since I’ve played that high up the pitch but I’m really enjoying it, it’s where I’m happy playing football.
“The gaffer has given me the license to make things happen in the final third. He’s put a lot of faith in me in that aspect and I appreciate that a lot… my numbers haven’t been where I want them to be, but I just got to keep working hard to improve.”
Disappointing Lincoln return for Joe Taylor:
Hackett then touched on his former teammate Joe Taylor, who was ineffective against a strong Imps backline on his return to Sincil Bank, saying: “The defence played against Richard Kone last week and handled him really well, who is one of the top strikers, same as Joe today.
“The boys are obviously really familiar with his attributes so it’s probably an easier task than the one last week. We know his strengths and weaknesses, so they defended and dealt with him well.
Lincoln City travel to the Valley to face automatic-promotion pushing Charlton Athletic in their next league fixture.