Chieo Ogbene praised the City supporters who made the long journey to Bournemouth for Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup third round tie.
More than 500 Imps fans made the eight-hour round trip to the south coast to back City against the Premier League side, and despite Bournemouth ultimately progressing, the travelling support remained behind Ogbene and his teammates throughout the evening.
The forward, who made his first City start since joining the club, was keen to acknowledge the commitment of the supporters and the impact they had from the stands.
Ogbene said: “Credit to the fans on Tuesday night. I’m sure some people will have work on Wednesday and we had very lively and full-voice fans out there.
“We just wanted to let them know that we noticed that, and that gives us 110%, especially when we’re struggling on the pitch, they’re still chanting and supporting us.
“That means a lot. We just wanted to let them know that we appreciate them.
“My first home game last Saturday, my partner was saying that she can’t believe how lively and how passionate this city is.
“We’re going to need that again on Saturday. We’re going to need that each week, because it makes a massive difference.”
City went into the break just one goal behind, having competed well against a Bournemouth side that finished sixth in the Premier League last season.
The hosts showed their quality after the interval, however, controlling more of the possession and eventually pulling away to bring City’s cup run to an end at the third round stage.
Ogbene admitted Bournemouth showed their quality after the break, but believes the experience can help City understand what is required to compete at the highest level.
He continued: "After the first goal, we lost a bit of momentum. I think we started really well. We went toe-to-toe with them.
“After the first goal, we were still in it. That was the most important thing. We stayed in it to the second half.
“The second half, I just felt like they got more control of the possession and we weren’t able to inflict enough pressure on them. They showed their class and it’s a disappointing result.
“We all aspire to be playing at that level. It’s a good experience for us to understand what it takes to get to that level.
“Obviously this season we want to push to get as high as possible, so it’s a good test for everybody.”
