Chris Cohen was philosophical as Lincoln City’s long unbeaten run finally came to an end in the cruellest fashion.
Leading from Adam Reach’s smart finish, Will Lankshear got Middlesbrough back into the game. With 90 on the clock, City looked to be on course to make it 30 matches without defeat, but Lankshear stroked home from close range to break City’s heart.
“I think it was the only way it was ever going to finish,” he told Imps+ after the game.
“You saw the heart, the desire and the passion that the players played with right up until the 94th minute again.
“The first goal was obviously a little bit fortunate, it flicked off someone, I think, for him to get an easy goal. For the second, they bring on a really good player who is able to wriggle out of an impossible situation and show his quality.
“It was always going to end at some point. We’re gutted with the result today, but again, we’re incredibly proud of the players and the performance they put in.”
The last time the Imps were beaten in the league was in front of fewer than 10,000 against Wycombe, so 30,000 at the Riverside was a different occasion. With a starting XI that cost less than 10% of Lankshear, and no new signings in the starting XI, the Imps could have been forgiven for being overawed by the occasion.
Instead, they adapted quickly, as Chris explained.
“They amaze me because nothing fazes them. You saw the way we played in that first half. Middlesbrough away will be as tough an away game as we have all season, and they just amaze me that they’re able to go there with big shoulders, show their quality with the ball, and show their application, effort and energy without it.
“I thought the first half was a top, top performance. There’ll be very few football teams that come to Middlesbrough this year and are able to negate them that much in a half of football while still carrying a big threat.”
City bossed the first 30 minutes, creating chances, enough to perhaps add a second. That almost happened whe Tanto Olafe turned home from close range, only for it to be correctly ruled out for offside.
“We were so close, but I said in the changing room afterwards that even if we’d won the game, if Tanner had been onside and we were walking off with a 2-1 victory, I think there was a real lesson to be learned from that second half.”
Attention now turns to Portsmouth in a week, the sort of clash that feels much more routine as we adjust to life in the Championship.
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