Cowley hails flexible Imps

Posted Saturday, March 09, 2019 by PA

Danny Cowley hailed Lincoln’s tactical flexibility following their important 1-0 win over Yeovil.

The Imps cemented their place at the top of Sky Bet League Two thanks to Mark O’Hara’s second-half goal.

Shortly before the winner, Cowley made a tactical change by replacing Matt Rhead with Danny Rowe.

And it paid off as O’Hara headed home his first goal for the club in the 69th minute following Harry Anderson’s cross.

“I’m pleased with the players and the qualities they showed,” said Cowley. “They are all the qualities we hold dear: resilience and durability.

“I thought we were relentless. We had 35 box entries in the first half. If we’re being critical, we needed to be a bit calmer and show more composure in the final action. As a consequence, we didn’t find the goal we would have liked.

“In the second half, we came out into a difficult wind. We changed personnel, the system and the style. For us to be able to go so seamlessly from one style to another is credit to the players.

“We work really hard in the video room and on the training ground to get that alignment so the players have complete clarity on how we’re going to play.

“The fact we’ve got a plan A, plan B and plan C if we need them is testament to their hard work.”

Having conceded some late goals at home recently, Cowley was delighted with the way City ended the game on the front foot and with few alarms.

“That’s what we wanted to do,” he said. “Once we got the goal, they had to come out a bit more and we were able to pick them off.

“We probably should have won the game by two or three, but credit to Yeovil because they came here and fought really hard for their team.”

Despite the defeat, Yeovil manager Darren Way was proud of his young side for the way they competed against the league leaders.

“I’m disappointed we’ve lost, but with such a young team we battled hard,” he said.

“Tactically, we played the shape really well. It was a new shape and we had some good chances.

“Overall, I’m pleased because the young players have gained so much experience. This is what League Two, and dealing with a direct ball, is all about.”

Way also praised Lincoln and wants Yeovil, who are under new ownership, to follow their example.

“This (Lincoln) is a club with momentum. They’ve been in the Conference, but have pushed forward,” he added.

“Their team is settled and their players and supporters are used to winning.

“I said to the players after the game, ‘that noise (from the home fans) is what we need at Yeovil’. They have good supporters here.”