Sam Tillen was proud of his side after they earned a hard fought point against Salford City in a 1-1 draw at the Elite Performance Centre.
The young Imps made an inspiring comeback in the second half through a Josh Kennealey strike just six minutes after he came on the pitch.
Tillen said: “Josh is a very important player for us and he made a great impact in that 20 minutes.”
City's U18 head coach was also delighted with the heroic penalty save by shadow scholar Kieran Fretwell just three minutes before full-time. Tillen was also full of praise for how his side defended.
He said: “He’s a big character and he showed that in the moment there, he stood up and took responsibility and I was really pleased for him that he saved that penalty.
“Having Charlie Parks is a massive lift, he’s a fantastic player and character. I thought we defended well and looked solid and secure.”
The young City side welcome Rotherham United on Saturday 22 November in what is set to be another difficult challenge.
Tillen said: “Rotherham always give us a tough game, they’re very front foot so we have to be up for a physical confrontation against them and we have to be ready for that.”
Goalkeeper Kieran Fretwell had a debut to remember with the fate of the match in his hands with a penalty save in the 87th minute to protect a well-earned point at home.
Fretwell was glad to do his part and keep the team fighting for a hard-earned result.
He said: “To keep the game level and give the lads hope of maybe even winning the game was very important to me.
“I've got a process that I go through on penalties, luckily I dived the right way to save it.
“I’m very happy with my performance, especially with the penalty save and how I was communicating all game."
Imps XI: Fretwell, Aldridge, Simmons, Vout, Parks, Sagoo (Inyama 59’), Mande (Don-Duncan 59’), Hutton (Chipperfield 59’), Hepworth (Kennealey 70’), Bada, Wilson.
