Lincoln City head coach Mark Kennedy thanked Imps supporters for their support during Saturday’s season opener against Exeter.
City fought back from an early deficit to earn their first points of the season thanks to a sublime headed effort from newly appointed captain Tom Hopper, but Kennedy attributes much of the strong performance to the impact of the City crowd.
He said: “I’ve heard about the fans and the atmosphere, but you don’t understand it until you’ve witnessed it. We’ve talked about a third man, and that was really evident.
“Because the supporters shown their love for the players it gets reciprocated, and I think you saw that back from the team. From all of the players and staff collectively, the support didn’t go unnoticed and we’re hugely grateful for that.”
In what was his first competitive outing in the City dugout, Kennedy he was delighted with the attitude of his players to ensure they took something out of the game.
He added: “I thought from a character point of view the lads stood up and showed their mentality. We are a young squad, but I thought in the second half they played like mature men, and I’m really pleased.
“Especially to be a goal down at home in the first game of the season: you always want to get off the mark and score a goal, but to comeback in the manner they did is a huge credit to them.”