Mark Kennedy spoke to the press today ahead of our away league against Northampton Town on Tuesday night and discussed what he’s learnt in the past season, potential rotation in the side and the quality between League One and League Two.
Mark thinks he’s better equipped this year for League One football after a year of experience in the division. The head coach believes that his 14 months in charge has seen him learn what to expect from his opponents but also his own side.
“I was quite blind last year, I didn’t know what to expect. The nerves before games are certainly still the same, but my understanding of the league, the level, the players and what’s required has got better.
“We’ve had 14 months of creating our brand and our identity, so from that regard we aren’t going into the unknown. That makes me a lot more confident this year.”
When asked about rotation, Mark explained that he’d pick a team that was best suited to win the game. Although there may or may not be changes, three points are the objective for Mark and his side as they head to the Sixfields Stadium on Tuesday night.
“Every game I’ve ever played, I’ve always tried to pick a team to win. Last year when we played Doncaster and Barrow, we made quite a lot of changes, but I never picked a team just to give players minutes, it was picked to win the game.
“Tomorrow is no different, we’ll pick the strongest team available to win the game. That might mean several changes, that might mean none. We always respect the opposition and the competition.”
City face Northampton Town on Tuesday and Mark was very complimentary of the Cobblers and Jon Brady following their promotion to League One after an outstanding campaign in the division below last season. Mark also discussed the gap between the leagues and how difficult it is to compete in League One.
“I think they have momentum, their trajectory is upwards. They have a fantastic manager, he’s done an incredible job. Northampton are a big club, and I have no doubt they’ll be looking to become a big League One club.”
“The jump is big between all the leagues. The problem with League One is there is so many big teams in it, there are some huge clubs in this league. Every year, there must be 12 or 13 clubs that want to get promoted, and only three go up so there’s going to be lots of disappointments.
Analysis and reaction to Northampton Town VS Lincoln City will be available over the weekend at AllLincoln both on www.alllincoln.co.uk and our Instagram page.