Michael Skubala is continuing to learn about his Imps squad.
City bowed out of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy on Tuesday evening after a stunning late strike from Rosaire Longelo clinched a close encounter at Accrington Stanley.
Skubala said: “I'm learning a little bit more about the players every day. You think you learn about them in training, but you don’t learn better than in 90 minutes - especially in a tough environment like Accrington.
“It's one of those brilliant learning experiences. It was always going to be a battle and you have to match that for the whole 90 minutes. We just need to learn from it, get better and we’ll go again.”
Skubala was pleased with the second half display from his side and is hoping they can take that into a tough league fixture back home on Saturday when Reading visit the LNER Stadium.
He added: “At half-time we made a few adjustments by going to a back four to try and get a bit more of a foothold, and I think that worked well. Jovon Makama came on and had an impact and, after the changes, I think we were on top.
“We will have a recovery session and then be ready to go again. There is an exciting game against Reading who seem to be getting stronger as the season goes on, so it's going to be a tough game for us.”
Tickets for Saturday’s game are available now - click here to secure your place at the LNER Stadium.