Michael Skubala praised City’s work rate following their 1-1 draw with Reading.
Harvey Knibbs’ second-half equaliser meant the points were shared at the LNER Stadium after an early own goal had given the Imps the lead.
Skubala said: “The lads worked hard. Reading are a good team, they’re in a league position that doesn’t tell you how good they are.
“They have some good individual players and we struggled to cope with them especially in the wide areas. It was a big shift.”
Skubala was also impressed with the defensive grit City displayed against the Royals.
He added: “Adam Jackson is an important player, he’s got that experience in defence that we need.
“I thought TJ Eyoma and Paudie O’Connor were good again, they stood up, I just think we need a bit more quality at times.”
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