Sam Tillen was pleased with the experience his side gained from an outing against a strong non-league side in Gainsborough Trinity despite a 4-2 defeat at the KAL Group Stadium.
With just three pre-season games left before the start of the Youth Alliance North campaign, Tillen spoke about the progress his side have been making in pre-season.
Tillen said: “We’ve had some tough games against two men’s sides and two strong academy sides. A lot of learning for us, we’ve tried to implement a new way of playing although the fundamentals are still there in terms of work rate and being on the front foot.
"We want to make sure we’re fluid in the way we play, and we can adapt and we’ll keep working ready for the season to start.”
Tillen singled out Josh Kennealey who was on the scoresheet for the young Imps striking from range to equalise just before the break.
Tillen said: “He’s got such a fantastic attitude and one of Gainsborough’s players highlighted how well he played, he stood out in his performance.
"I think that typifies how he is as a lad, he’s just a fearless individual and the fact he’s just finished his exams and now he’s playing under the lights at Gainsborough is a fantastic testament to him.”
Tillen also talked about how important it was for Orin Aldridge to add 70 minutes to his goal from the weekend following a difficult 2024/25 campaign with injury.
He added: “We’re really pleased with how he’s come back, he’s really worked hard over the off-season and to come back and grab those minutes incrementally and we’re really hoping he can be a strong performer for us once the season starts."
Imps: Pardington, Aldridge (Preston), Oliver (Hepworth), Carlisle, Parks (Wilson (Vout)), Inyama (Sagoo), Kennealey, Okewoye, Vanderpuye (Tamba), Okoro (Ward), Simmons.
Unused subs: Taylor, Mende, Huggins.