Tom Shaw believes City have shown there is nothing to fear in the Championship after an encouraging start to the season.
Shaw was encouraged by the way City imposed themselves on another strong Championship opponent Swansea City on Saturday at the ProAmpac Stadium - with the Welsh side going top of the table.
The Imps led at the break through Reeco Hackett’s penalty, but two goals in the opening five minutes of the second half turned the contest around as the visitors claimed a 2-1 victory to Swansea City.
He said: “We’ve had some amazing experiences in the Championship now, home and away. We’ve seen everything it has to offer. It’s hard and it’s unrelenting, but there’s nothing to be fearful of.
“We’ve gone toe-to-toe with pretty much every team and had some amazing spells against some big football clubs.
“We’ve got 11 points on the board from eight games and people had written us off before a ball was kicked. The lads have proven to themselves and everybody else that we can compete at this level.
“We’re going to have to be at the top of our game every week to get points in this division, but we’re 100% on the right track.”
Shaw felt City were particularly impressive during the opening 40 minutes, with their intensity causing Swansea problems before the visitors offered a warning of their quality immediately before the interval.
He said: “They are a top side and we took it to them from the first minute. We wanted the game on our terms and I thought it was for 40 minutes of the first half.
“In the final five minutes they gave us a bit of a warning of what they can do with their technical and tactical level around our goal.
“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to stick with it in the early part of the second half. Those five minutes are something we’ll reflect on.
“The second goal was a little unfortunate with a big deflection, while the first goal is one we can do so much better with.
“From that point I thought we chased the game really well. If you look at how we chased the game against Portsmouth, we were disappointed, but this was completely different. The ball just didn’t quite drop for us.”
Shaw also praised Freddie Draper, who won the penalty converted by Hackett and produced another physical display at the top end of the pitch.
He said: “Freddie epitomises what we’re trying to be as a football team. He plays really aggressively and he’s a strong boy. We’re trying to have that throughout the squad.
“I feel as though we’re in a good place, but Chris Cohen and I know there’s more to come.”
The head coach was also appreciative of the backing City received from the stands as they pushed for a way back into the contest.
He said: “The whole place was excellent. The supporters were incredible in the first half and, in the final 20 minutes when we needed them, they were as good as they always are.
“We’re frustrated that we haven’t taken anything from the game. We’ve probably missed out on a few points at home that we might have deserved, but we have to keep reviewing and reflecting on the level of performance, which has been really high.”
City now have a three-week break before returning to Championship action, providing an opportunity for some players to recover and others to build their fitness.
Shaw added: “It’s good for a number of the group to get a bit of a breather. We’ve also got a few lads who we can get some proper work into over the next two-and-a-half or three weeks and get them up to speed so they’re available for selection and more minutes.
“It’s going to be a really important three weeks for the whole season. Chris and the staff are looking forward to getting after the lads and taking us another step further.”
