Adam Reach believes Wednesday night’s clash with West Ham United is the perfect opportunity for City to bounce back from Saturday’s defeat at Sheffield United.
The Imps welcome the Hammers to the ProAmpac Stadium for another eagerly anticipated Sky Bet Championship encounter, with Reach determined to ensure his side respond positively to the disappointment at Bramall Lane.
The experienced left-sider believes fixtures like Wednesday’s are exactly what City worked so hard to achieve during last season’s promotion-winning campaign.
He said: “We’re going to lose games this year and I think we’re all aware of that. It’s about how you bounce back after one negative result and, so far, we’ve bounced back really well this season.
“We need to do that on Wednesday. What a fantastic game for the club.
“Nights like that against West Ham United are why we all worked so hard last year and why we celebrated so much, because we’re back in the Championship.
“Those types of games are what we worked hard for nine months last season, but we don’t want to just enjoy it. We want to go out there and show them how well we can do, and I’m sure we will.”
Reach felt there were positives to take from City’s performance at Sheffield United, particularly during the opening 40 minutes when the Imps frustrated their hosts.
However, he acknowledged the importance of being clinical at both ends of the pitch after the Blades capitalised on key moments to secure the points.
He said: “Sometimes football is a game of what happens in both penalty boxes. We weren’t as clinical as we would’ve liked to have been and maybe didn’t defend a couple of moments as well as we could have.
“When you come up against Championship strikers, it doesn’t take much for them to score. You saw that with Bamford’s goals today. They were pretty much half-chances, but you find yourself 3-0 down.
“I think we started brightly. In the first half, we limited them to pretty much nothing until the 42nd minute or whenever the goal was.
“There were positive signs, but ultimately we lost and we want to come away with positive results.”
Reach also praised the travelling City supporters, who continued to back their side throughout the afternoon.
He said: “Their crowd were murmuring a little bit and the fans were singing their hearts out. It felt like a really good atmosphere.
“We looked like we were heading into half-time with something to build on in the second half, but then we conceded.
“We’re disappointed because I think we can do better with all three goals.”
Despite the setback, Reach is confident the Imps can quickly put the result behind them and produce a positive response in front of their own supporters.
He added: “It’s disappointing, but it’s about how we bounce back. We’ve got a fantastic game for the club on Wednesday night against West Ham and we’ll be looking to pick up a positive result.”
