Michael Skubala praises ‘monster' defensive display as Lincoln beat Northampton
'We had to dig really deep,' said Skubala. 'It wasn't a pretty game at all. But we have a group of great characters and they saw it out brilliantly.
'I thought we started the game really well, we worked it well and scored a superb goal and there were a couple of other chances, but we just stopped playing a little bit and that played into their hands.
'It became a war of attrition in the second half but there were some magnificent performances at the back – I thought Sonny Bradley in particular was a monster.
'Northampton put it on us and landed on seconds but the defence is a proper unit who want to defend well and there's nothing better than a clean sheet.
'George Wickens made some fantastic saves in goal and in the end it's a brilliant win away from home.
'There are still things we can improve on and I'd like to see us play a bit more but it's a good job well done.'
Northampton remain winless this season but manager Kevin Nolan saw a lot to like from his side's performance.
'We haven't scored a goal but we should have,' he said.
'We need to be more ruthless. We gave them a few moments in the first half but the opportunities were there and I thought we were by far the better team throughout the game, especially in the second half.
'The lads grew in confidence but we just couldn't put the ball in the net and sometimes it's like that and at the moment we're going through one of those periods. We've just got to find a way.
'Lincoln stood up to it and made blocks so fair play to them and for all the good things we did, it doesn't matter if you don't put the ball in the net.
'Even if we scored and took a point, I'd still be frustrated that we hadn't won the game. I think everyone inside the ground knows we should have taken something but that's the cruelty of football.
'We've played some good teams but we've matched them all and now we need to take it that step further and make sure we punish teams when we have the opportunity.'
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Leader Live
2 hours ago
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Michael Skubala praises ‘monster' defensive display as Lincoln beat Northampton
Freddie Draper's superb volley in the 20th minute ultimately proved the difference as the Imps withstood heavy pressure to make it three wins from four League One games to start the season. 'We had to dig really deep,' said Skubala. 'It wasn't a pretty game at all. But we have a group of great characters and they saw it out brilliantly. 'I thought we started the game really well, we worked it well and scored a superb goal and there were a couple of other chances, but we just stopped playing a little bit and that played into their hands. 'It became a war of attrition in the second half but there were some magnificent performances at the back – I thought Sonny Bradley in particular was a monster. 'Northampton put it on us and landed on seconds but the defence is a proper unit who want to defend well and there's nothing better than a clean sheet. 'George Wickens made some fantastic saves in goal and in the end it's a brilliant win away from home. 'There are still things we can improve on and I'd like to see us play a bit more but it's a good job well done.' Northampton remain winless this season but manager Kevin Nolan saw a lot to like from his side's performance. 'We haven't scored a goal but we should have,' he said. 'We need to be more ruthless. We gave them a few moments in the first half but the opportunities were there and I thought we were by far the better team throughout the game, especially in the second half. 'The lads grew in confidence but we just couldn't put the ball in the net and sometimes it's like that and at the moment we're going through one of those periods. We've just got to find a way. 'Lincoln stood up to it and made blocks so fair play to them and for all the good things we did, it doesn't matter if you don't put the ball in the net. 'Even if we scored and took a point, I'd still be frustrated that we hadn't won the game. I think everyone inside the ground knows we should have taken something but that's the cruelty of football. 'We've played some good teams but we've matched them all and now we need to take it that step further and make sure we punish teams when we have the opportunity.'
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Stead expressed optimism following a frustrating night for Rovers whose manager Darrell Clarke was booked late on for dissent as he was left waiting for the first win of his second spell in charge. 'That looked much more like what we expect from the group and what the supporters expect from us,' Stead told reporters after Rovers picked up their first point of the campaign. 'At times it was electric because there was a tempo to the game, there was drive and an intensity to the game, and for a few split seconds I enjoyed it on the touchline which was nice. 'We just have to keep performing and turn disappointing night like this into wins but it's a process and we're working hard towards that and so are the players and I know we're getting there.' Rovers, relegated from League One last season, dominated and almost snatched victory in stoppage time but Jack Sparkes' 20-yard free-kick thundered against the crossbar. Earlier, captain Tom Conlon came to the visitors' rescue with a goal-line clearance to deny Gas skipper Alfie Kilgour when he rose to win Sparkes' free-kick on the hour. 'We're not happy but I am talking here quite buoyantly because I see hope and a process that is starting to work and I see things that are starting to click,' Stead continued. 'We will become a really good team but it feels as though everything's going against us at the moment. 'There are a lot of things we are trying to overcome and we are having to deal with setbacks but that's football. 'The players are getting kicked but they carry that on their shoulders and it's our job to help them through it.' Oldham manager Micky Mellon hailed his side's fighting qualities as they got back in their fans' good books following the 2-1 weekend home defeat by Swindon. 'It was a real battling point,' said Mellon, whose promoted side are also without a win this term. 'After Saturday we were annoyed at ourselves for the first 15 to 20 minutes because we didn't show a reaction or show those battling qualities that are needed to fight for the right to play. 'But we did that tonight against possibly one of the highest invested-in teams in the division on a Tuesday night and we stood our ground and fought and scrapped and created some good chances. 'It was a good old-fashioned League Two battle and I'm sorry for the fans we couldn't get one of those finishes in for them. 'The lads had to show a reaction from Saturday and we did that because we let ourselves down and we let the fans down. 'This is a learning time for us as a team and we've now learned that you can't wait until the tempo to drop to a level that you believe you'd like to play at and try to get the right to try and play.'
