‘Only Going To Get Better’ – Tom Shaw Makes Lincoln City Promise After Impressive Draw

Tom Shaw believes Lincoln City showed once again that they are capable of competing with some of the Championship’s biggest clubs after a 1-1 draw with Southampton at Sincil Bank.

The Imps started positively and created the better chances for much of the opening half, only to fall behind when Welington produced a superb long-range strike just before the break. Southampton then had opportunities to extend their advantage in the second half, but City stayed in the contest, increased the pressure late on and were rewarded when Mikkel Ladefoged headed home Reeco Hackett’s cross.

In truth, it is the home supporters who may feel it’s two points dropped, with xG favouring City, shots and shots on target favouring City, and touches in the box in our favour as well. On the biggest metric of all, goals, there was parity, but it was another huge performance from City, as Tom explained in his post-match press conference.

“I thought the ebb and flow, the swing of the Championship, is amazing,” he said.

“There are moments where you feel like you’re right on top, and then, because of the athleticism of the opposition, really quickly you’re defending your goal.

“We have to keep finding our way at this level in terms of how we sustain our pressure and sustain attacks, because I thought we were bang on top when they scored, really. I thought we’d had some good moments. It’s another long-distance shot that’s gone right in the top corner.

“Eventually, they’ll start going over and hitting the bar, and teams have got to open us up a little bit more to score. Myself and Chris are delighted with how the boys have applied themselves.

“Probably, people in the outside world weren’t expecting us to compete with Southampton as much as we did. Physically, technically and tactically, I thought at times we were excellent. We made it very uncomfortable for Southampton, and that was the game plan for the last few days. So, very pleased.”

There was a familiarity to the way City started the game, with the Imps again looking to impose themselves early and make life difficult for their opponents. Andrei Coubis was particularly influential down the right, while City created enough openings to feel they could have been ahead before Southampton struck. For Tom, the performance was another indication that the gap between Lincoln and some of the division’s bigger clubs may not be as wide as many expected before the season began.

“We know this is going to be a period of growth at the start of the season, but the exciting bit for us is that the outside world probably dubbed us as the 24th horse in the race. That’s the stuff we read in the summer.

“Look where we are already in the first few games. We’re at a level. We’re competing with some monster football clubs, and we’re only going to get better.

“You saw the lads who came onto the pitch and what they’re going to offer. They’ve got fitness to gain and they’ve got to understand how we want to play, so they’ll improve.

“The most pleasing thing about all the new signings was the fight and the spirit, just like our lads who have been here for a little bit of time. They’ve got some character and some personality. They took the game by the scruff of the neck, so it was a really pleasing day.

“We just feel we perhaps deserved a little bit more. When you look at the feel of the game, and then look at the data and the stats afterwards, you think we might have done enough to win that.

“But we’ve always got to keep the context. We were playing against a team that nearly got to the Premier League, bar a few bits, last year.”

The strength of the bench also played a significant part in the way the game changed late on. Ladefoged, Hackett, Yunus Konak, Tom Bayliss and Chiedozie Ogbene all came on as City chased the equaliser, with the fresh legs and different attacking options helping to pin Southampton back. Ogbene threatened on more than one occasion, Ladefoged gave the Imps another physical presence in the box, and Hackett supplied the delivery for the eventual equaliser.

“There are lads who didn’t get onto the pitch who would have added to what we were doing at that point as well,” said Tom.

“We’ve got incredible competition and some good players didn’t make the 20-man squad today. The club have really supported us. We want a certain profile in our team. The fans and everybody have seen how we play now over a period of time, and the club have really backed us with that.

“There is loads of strength in depth and loads of tough decisions to make for every team and squad, which is exactly how we want it.”