Cowley heaps praise on strikers for cup win

Posted Sunday, December 02, 2018 by PA

Danny Cowley hailed his quartet of strikers after Lincoln City marched in the third round of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Carlisle United.

Matt Rhead, who was restored to the side up front along with Matt Green, put the Imps in control of the second round tie when he turned home Bruno Andrade’s cross after just 30 seconds.

Regular front two, John Akinde and Shay McCartan, replaced Rhead and Green in the second half, with Akinde scoring the game-clinching second goal four minutes from time.

After two frustrating draws against Mansfield Town and Oldham Athletic in the league, it was almost a perfect afternoon for Cowley, who felt his side’s positive start to the tie was key to their victory.

“When we’re at Sincil Bank we like to give the opposition that ‘welcome to Sincil Bank’ feeling,” he said.

“We certainly got that. It was a really good kick-off, which we always say is our most important restart.

“It was a great delivery from Bruno and Rheady did what Rheady does best.

“Rheady and Greeny, in the first 25 minutes, were a real handful and, as a consequence, we were able to dominate territory and get a really strong grip on the game.

“I was really pleased with how we finished the game as well. We had really good control of the last half-an-hour.

“John and Shay came on as Rheady and Greeny tired and did well for us.

“I was delighted for John. His performances post-Colchester (where the Imps lost 1-0 on October 27) have been tremendous. He’s done everything but score recently so it was nice for him to get the goal he deserved.

“We’re lucky to have four really good forwards at the club and they all did a good job for the team.”

Deflated Carlisle boss John Sheridan bemoaned the Imps’ early goal which was soft from a defensive point of view.

“Once they’re on the pitch, we (the coaching team) can’t doing anything, it’s up to them,” fumed Sheridan.

“It’s a downer straight away. We told the players all week, we installed it in them. Straight from the kick-off, the ball was going to come on top of us. We knew what they were going to go.

“But from the first kick, they were on the front foot and we were on the back foot. It shouldn’t happen.

“There was enough experience on the pitch to deal with it, but we didn’t.”

United did have chances to level with Imps keeper Josh Vickers making several important saves.

“I felt at 1-0 that we were always in the game, but the sucker-punch was the second goal,” added Sheridan.

“We needed to score our goal when we had the chances. I’d like another five or six players, but I’ve got to get on with it with what I’ve got. We’ve got to work hard and pick ourselves up, the players more than anyone.”