Ben House described scoring City’s winner at Bolton Wanderers as a moment he had dreamt of after the Imps secured their first Championship victory of the season.
House struck the decisive goal in the 1-0 success, with City then showing plenty of resilience to withstand pressure from the hosts and secure all three points.
The striker felt the victory was deserved reward for the work the squad have put in during their opening weeks back in the second tier.
He said: “Everyone’s been waiting for it long enough. The last two games have been tough to take because I’m sure we could have come away with something.
“We knew it was going to be so much harder this season, so I’m so pleased we’ve got over the line.
“I’m delighted for everyone - the players, the coaches and the staff. I think we deserved it.”
House’s goal provided another landmark moment in his own journey with the Imps, having worked his way back to Championship level with the club.
And after passing up opportunities earlier in the contest, the forward made sure when another chance arrived.
He added: “There were a lot of emotions. It’s another one that I’ve dreamt of.
“I’ve said before that making my debut at this level was amazing, but getting a goal is just different. You saw that in my celebration. I just loved that moment.
“I had a few chances in the first half, but at this level you know you’re not going to get loads of moments, so you have to take them when they come.
“It’s all part of everything that’s gone into getting to this point, and to do it here was special.”
House was also quick to highlight the collective effort which ensured his goal proved to be the winner.
George Wickens produced a number of important saves, while players throughout the side put their bodies on the line as Bolton pushed for a way back into the contest.
House said: “It’s not just the defenders or the goalkeeper, everyone was putting their bodies on the line.
“That’s what it’s going to take to get results and everyone is willing to do it. We work hard for everyone and we graft, so we deserved this.
“George is a top keeper. We know we need him and he made some amazing saves. He’s an amazing, amazing top keeper.
“But credit to everyone. We all dug deep and everyone put in a shift to get the win.”
The scenes at full-time reflected the significance of the result as the players celebrated in front of the travelling City supporters.
House believes getting the first Championship victory on the board can provide another important step for the group.
He concluded: “The three points are massive. There have been a lot of emotions over the last few games.
“We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but we’re just so happy that we’ve got that first one.
“We’ve been a good group from the start. We all help each other out and that’s going to work for us going forward.”