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DRAPER CONFIDENT IMPS WILL BOOK THEIR PLAY-OFF SPOT
FREDDIE Draper was delighted to score his first league goal for Lincoln City in their 1-1 draw at Reading on Saturday after a patient wait.
The 19-year-old was brought back into the Lincoln fold in January after being recalled from his loan at League Two side Walsall, with his parent club in desperate need at the time for fit centre-forwards.
Draper started four games in a row straight after being recalled, but was then hit by injury, and with other strikers coming into form and developing partnerships, he has been limited to substitute appearances since.
It is hard for a young striker to make a meaningful impact coming off the bench, but that is what he did at Reading as he headed in his first league goal for the club that developed him as an academy player and gave him his first chance in the professional game.
He said: “It’s a brilliant moment for me to get on the score sheet.
“I’ve had to wait a little bit, and it just shows how much passion I have for this club and how much I want to do well.
“We’ve linked up before in our youth team days, but I know he’s [Sean Roughan] got a great left foot, and he always looking to cross it in, so it was nice that he got the assist for my first goal.
“I started alright [after coming back from loan], but then I got injured which was frustrating because I wanted to kick on again after a good spell at Walsall.
“I’ve got back to myself – I’m playing how I want to play, and I’m enjoying my football. I’ve got a role in the team at the moment and if I can chip in with a few goals I’ll do that.
“The gaffer has helped me a lot in terms of showing me how to use my best attributes more and I’m doing those things more in games.”
The Imps maintained their longstanding unbeaten streak with the draw on Saturday, but the high standards they have set meant they still came away from the game with a tinge of disappointment in letting their lead slip.
Despite this, Draper is confident the team will keep a positive mindset as they attack the final four games of the season with a chance to sneak into the League One play-offs still very much a possibility.
He added: “It’s a good point, they’re a good team and we’re still unbeaten, and we’re still very much looking forward to the next four games. We’re disappointed that it wasn’t all three points, especially with how good we’ve been defensively to concede the goal as we did.
“We thought we’d be able to see the lead out, but that didn’t happen, so we’ve just got to stay positive and keep going for the next game. We’re looking forward to these last few matches because we’re full of confidence that we can go and get the job done.
“The fans have been brilliant and they helped the team on, and hopefully in the last four games they’ll be a big part of us and they’ll get behind us even more.”