Sam Tillen reflected positively on "a season of two halves” following the conclusion of the 2024/25 campaign.
The young Imps secured a place in the top five of the Youth Alliance North, with just seven defeats in their 24 games. The under 18s also matched a club record after reaching the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup, where they were narrowly edged out by Plymouth Argyle on penalties, with the Pilgrims going on to defeat Category One Academy Everton in the following round.
He said: “It’s been a season of two halves really, where in the first we had a consistent group of scholars and went on a great run in both the league and FA Youth Cup.
“The lads did really well, we managed to beat both Bolton and Wrexham who are standout teams in our division. They put in a very good performance against Plymouth which unfortunately wasn’t enough but we look back on that with a lot of pride."
A strong start to the league campaign saw Tillen’s side lose just once from August to December before adjusting to a new-look squad after the FA Youth Cup run with attention turning to 2025/26.
A young group of players gained valuable experience throughout the second half of the campaign and ended strongly with back-to-back wins against Hartlepool United and Huddersfield Town.
Talking about the changes to his side, Tillen added: “After a few of the lads went on work experience loans, it became eyes on next season. Preparing the next group of players and we’re now in a position where they’ve gained substantial experience in youth team football.
“There were big shoes to fill for the lads that came into the side and they’ve done well adapting to the level. We put in some solid performances and we’ve ended the season on a positive note.”