Charlie Parks was proud of the performance of the young Imps as they put in a battling performance against Lincoln United in the Lincolnshire Senior Cup.
The young defender, who captained the Imps as they lost 2-1 late on at the Sun-Hat Villas and Resorts Stadium, was happy with the fight of the team against a senior side.
He said: “I thought the lads did really well. We’ve come here to a team that’s really experienced and physical, and we had first years playing who put up a brilliant fight physically against them.
“I’m proud of how much fight we put in, we competed and showed what we can but it’s just disappointing to lose the game late on.”
Parks has recently returned from injury, building up his minutes with City’s U18s before heading out on loan to Gainsborough Trinity.
He added: “It feels really good to be back. It’s not the same when you’re stuck in the gym doing rehab, you begin to really miss being on the grass and you just want to get back out there.
“I’m now starting to get more minutes here and there and it feels really good so hopefully that is something to build on.
“It’s still been a really important year for me, especially playing senior football as it makes you grow as a footballer both physically and mentally - it teaches you stuff about the game that you won’t learn through playing U18s football so it’s been a good experience so far and I’m really enjoying it.”