Danny Cowley wants his team to play as if they’ve been “punched in the nose” tomorrow night when they face promotion hunting Wycombe Wanderers.
Cowley expressed the disappointment in his side’s second half performance after the Imps’ 1-0 defeat to Port Vale last Saturday.
Speaking in today’s press conference ahead of Tuesday night’s game the Imps boss said: “We have relentlessly high standards and we felt like we dropped below them on Saturday which we were disappointed with. We had a good first half and should have scored to take a goal lead into half time.
“In the second half we didn’t come out with enough energy in the first quarter of an hour. Then I felt that we got going but then we conceded on the back of a good spell. We were disappointed with our response.”
Lincoln are currently eighth in League Two, and with away trips to Coventry and Accrington Stanley scheduled, the Lincoln boss spoke about the importance of being back at Sincil Bank.
“It makes for a really exciting game with five games to go at the business end of the season.
“We are very respectful of Wycombe and Gareth Ainsworth who is obviously a Lincoln legend. He was a top, top player and is an even better person. We look forward to welcoming him and his team down and they have had a great season so far.
“They are fighting hard to get promotion and we are fighting to be in and around the play-off places,” Cowley said.
“We are looking forward to the challenge that they will bring and we will try to have the answers to the questions they will pose to us.
“The game will be great to come back to Sincil Bank on a Tuesday night under the lights, especially off the back of Wembley last weekend.
“We now need to play the game like we have been punched in the nose and show the fight that we know we have.”
With a sellout crowd expected for tomorrow’s clash, the Imps boss went on to speak about the importance of the fans: “When you consider the kids are back at school now, that will reduce some of our support.
“We do ask the parents to be kind as it is a great educational experience to come down to Sincil Bank on a Tuesday night.
“Some of my best memories come from going to football on a Tuesday night. So, don’t stop your children from having memories for the sake of an hour’s sleep. The kids bring so much energy so we look forward to a capacity crowd.
Adebayo Akinfenwa is expected to lead the line for Wycombe tomorrow night and with 17 league goals to his name this season, Lincoln will have to be on their toes in order to stop him from scoring.
“He’s a good player, a top player and a mountain of a man. He’s a handful and a great character who probably has the biggest profile in League Two,” Cowley told press.
“He brings personality to his play and we respect that. We look forward to the challenges he will bring to us. We were with him at the Football League Awards last night and we sent some bottles of beer to his table.”