Lincoln City joint head coach Tom Shaw praised his side’s bravery and resilience after the Imps earned a 1-0 victory against Preston North End at Deepdale.
Speaking to the club website, Shaw explained that City had wanted to retain possession more effectively than in previous away fixtures.
Although Preston still created opportunities, the Imps remained composed before Freddie Draper’s late header settled the contest.
“I think every away performance has got to have all of those traits. I thought we were really brave.
“The strategy was, coming here, we wanted a bit more of the ball. I think we might have had more possession than the opposition for the first time in the first half today.
“We challenged the lads to be a little bit braver, a little bit calmer. I’ve heard the fans get a bit frustrated that we missed a few counter-attacks, but the strategy today was just to keep hold of the football a little bit more, so we weren’t chasing as much leather.”
City worked hard to deny Preston clear opportunities despite periods of pressure from the hosts. Johnny Kenny fired over after being presented with a good chance in the first half, while George Wickens made saves from Andrija Vukčević, Stanley Mills and Kenny.
Shaw felt the players carried out the possession-based part of the plan well but was equally pleased with the determination they showed when Preston pushed them back.
“I thought the lads did that brilliantly. But then when we had to dig in, led by Sonny Bradley in the penalty area, I thought they were amazing.
“They’ve got some quality around our goal. Alfie Devine’s a top player, along with a few others, so we knew we’d feel them. But we stood up to it really well, and the goalkeeper had another good game.”
The decisive moment arrived late in the second half after Chiedozie Ogbene’s direct run and shot forced Daniel Iversen to turn the ball out for a throw. Andrei Coubiș launched it into the penalty area, where Draper rose above the Preston defence and glanced his header beyond the goalkeeper.
It was Draper’s first Championship goal and came after a difficult spell in front of goal, although his contribution to the team had extended far beyond scoring. Shaw highlighted the physical work the striker has done since the beginning of the campaign and revealed that Deepdale already held special memories for him.
“Yeah, Freddie’s done some amazing work for the team. Really unselfish. He does some hard yards, takes some hits for everybody.
“I think he’s had a great start to the season, so everybody, the whole group, all the staff are delighted for him to get his goal.
“Last time we were here was in the Youth Cup, where we won 1-0 and Freddie scored as a 16-year-old, so maybe it was written in the stars.”
Draper began the afternoon on the bench but gave City a more imposing focal point after replacing Rob Street shortly before the hour. He battled for loose balls, won a corner through sheer persistence and eventually provided the touch which turned another competitive away performance into three points.
The Imps then defended their advantage with Bradley central to the resistance. The experienced centre-back had only recently returned from injury, but he produced an authoritative display in the middle of the back three and was serenaded by the travelling supporters after the final whistle.
Shaw was reluctant to overlook the wider contribution of the team, including those who had performed well during Bradley’s absence, but acknowledged the captain’s influence during the most demanding periods of the match.
“He was exceptional. It’s really difficult to single anybody out when it’s a team performance like that.
“He’s just a natural-born leader. The aura of the man, the character of him, the presence. Everyone follows his lead.
“We did absolutely fine without him. The lads who stepped in and played in his position have been excellent.
“He just gives you hundreds of games’ experience at this type of stadium to get through the tough times. I thought he was excellent today.”
The result extended the Imps’ unbeaten league run to four matches and moved them onto eight points from their opening six fixtures.
Only players who registered this stat are listed — somebody on nought tackles is not part of a tackle ranking, and padding the table with them buries the players who did something. Bars are scaled to the best figure shown; this is a within-match ranking, not a league-wide one.
Comments Welcome!