Chris Cohen believes Lincoln City are continuing to demonstrate their ability to compete in the Sky Bet Championship after a goalless draw with Blackburn Rovers at the ProAmpac Stadium.
The Imps recorded a second successive clean sheet and created the greater attacking threat for long periods, with the visitors also having to withstand sustained pressure after being reduced to 10 men.
There was some frustration that City’s performance did not ultimately produce all three points, but Cohen took plenty of encouragement from the balance his side found between attacking aggression and defensive security.
He said: “The players were frustrated at the end, and not just because they went down to 10 men. Prior to that, in the first 65 or 70 minutes, I thought we were the better team in terms of the amount of chances we created.
“We had lots of set-pieces and lots of volume around their goal, but just didn’t quite have that moment that was needed to take down a really good team.
“Every point in the Championship is really hard to get, but there’s a tiny bit of frustration.”
The clean sheet followed another shutout in the Imps’ previous league outing at Bolton Wanderers, with Cohen pleased by the defensive improvements his players have made following the defeat to Portsmouth in the previous home fixture.
He added: “Our learning from Portsmouth is that when we’re at our best this season, it’s going to be really controlled and as aggressive as we possibly can be.
“We want to be really secure but as aggressive as possible, rather than really aggressive and then hoping to be secure.
“I thought today we defended incredibly well. George had one save to make in the second half, which we know he will make, but apart from that there was very little for him to do, even before the sending-off.
“Getting two clean sheets in a row shows we’re doing things right, but we’re always going to try to nudge that aggression as well.”
Mikkel Ladefoged was handed his City debut from the bench, and the 6ft 8in forward received an enthusiastic reception from the home support.
Cohen was encouraged by the striker’s first appearance but stressed the importance of giving the youngster time to adapt to English football.
He said: “There was a lot of excitement when he came onto the pitch and I thought he had a couple of real glimpses of what he’s going to be able to do for us.
“When you say someone is 6ft 8in, you probably have a stereotype of them not being particularly mobile, but athletically he’s very, very good.
“He’s able to run the channels, press hard and technically he’s very good as well. He has the capabilities to do absolutely everything.
“He’s a really young player and it’s mine, Tom’s and the staff’s job to develop him.”
