Head coach Michael Skubala praised his side’s defensive resilience after a well-taken strike from Freddie Draper secured a 1-0 victory at Northampton Town on Tuesday night.
The result at Sixfields Stadium marked a third consecutive win in all competitions for the Imps, with Skubala highlighting the way his players managed the closing stages.
He said: "In the end we had to dig deep. I don't think the game was pretty at all from any side. but they're a great group and saw it out.
"For the first 20 minutes we looked good, worked the ball well, had a couple of opportunities and the goal we scored was a brilliant one.
"It was a great finish and Freddie has got that quality. We see it every day in training. I thought the move and everything about the goal was good.
"Then we just stopped playing a little bit and probably played into their hands, and it became a bit of a war of attrition."
He added: "There were some magnificent performances defensively and I thought Sonny Bradley was a monster. There's nothing better than a clean sheet when you're a defender. George Wickens made some magnificent saves.
"In the end, it's a brilliant three points away from home. A good job well done. There are still things we could have done better, but more than anything the defensive display was solid."
