Head coach Scott Brown spoke to the club after his side came back from two goals down to pick up a point on the road against Lincoln City on Saturday afternoon.
It was a slow start for the Cods at the LNER Stadium as Mark Kennedy’s side managed to go two goals up in the first 10 minutes, but Town picked up the intensity soon after and completed a comeback after goals from Paddy Lane and Ged Garner, one each side of the half, secured the draw in Lincolnshire.
Here’s what the gaffer had to say after the game:
An overall view of the game…
“I think we caused our own problems, in the first 25-30 minutes, that wasn’t our team. They were all scared, a bit anxious on the ball, and we didn’t defend crosses. For us to go two goals down, we probably deserved that be perfectly honest.
“They started well, and the crowd got behind them but, from the half-hour mark, I thought we worked our way back into the game and managed to sneak a goal back which gets that bit of belief that the players start to feel before the half.
“At the end of the game, you could see the team that finished stronger. We looked very positive going forwards and I think the subs were huge for us. They came on at the right time and showed the intensity we needed and some composure in the game that we lacked in the opening 60 minutes.”
On the comeback from two goals down…
“The comeback shows the lads’ character; I asked them at half-time to go and take the game to them. We were sloppy in the first five minutes of the half but, after that, the intensity started to pick up, we worked the ball forwards more, and we worked their goalie quite a lot.
“For us to have that many shots on target, the goalkeeper [Carl Rushworth] did well, even though he wasted time quite a lot but was then quite quick right at the end. It’s part and parcel of football and you learn those tricks. We just need a better understanding of the game and know what to do when we are struggling.
“For us to come away with a draw after our first half performance, that’s probably about right. We’d have loved the three points and we were the team who was finishing the game stronger, but we need to make sure we are ruthless in front of the goal.
“We had those chances and when they come around, we need to make sure we hit the back of the net. Ged [Garner] comes on and scores a fantastic header and that’s what we’ve got subs for. We’ve got a good bench with quality players who can come on to score us goals.”
On the ability to find small gaps in Lincoln’s defence…
“The first 25-30 minutes wasn’t us; throughout pre-season, we worked on a structure from the back and make sure we defend well to stop crosses, but it was very slack, and we really gifted them two goals - we didn’t make them work hard enough to score those goals.
“We are getting there as a team [on building on the recent draws], but it doesn’t help when you go 2-0 down. The comeback shows the lads’ character and, for me, that’s a huge thing, knowing that they can go until the 97th minute and get the goal back.
“We’ve had Carlos [Mendes Gomes], [Shaun] Rooney, and Promise [Omochere] have good chances as well as the goals. We had to work the ball through small gaps as they defended well, especially later in the game - for us to find those holes, when they went to a back five, was great.”