Ian Evatt wanted to bottle ‘the amazing feeling’ generated by Wanderers’ late winner as his side made it back-to-back Christmas victories, writes Pete Oliver.
Eoin Toal’s 89th-minute header at Lincoln City gave the Whites a dramatic 1-0 win which lifted them to joint second spot in League One and narrowed the gap at the top of the table.
Toal finally cracked City’s defence after Wanderers’ constant pressure paid off to spark joyous scenes among players, staff and the travelling fans in a sold-out away end.
“It was just relentless and eventually we got what we deserved,” said Evatt after overcoming an Imps’ side reduced to 10 men for the final 20 minutes following the dismissal of midfielder Danny Mandroiu.
“The most pleasing thing for me is everyone didn't become too panicked, didn't become rushed. The fans stayed with us, carried on supporting us, and it's just an amazing feeling.
“I wish we could bottle that, scoring in front of an away end and hearing how happy they are. It’s what football is all about. It's an unbelievable feeling and makes you realise how much you love this game when you get to experience that.”
Wanderers have bounced back from a three-game winless league run to collect maximum points from their first two festive fixtures.
And with the Whites now looking forward to a Friday night fixture and another sell-out at Fleetwood Town, Evatt wants a collective spirit to keep his side riding high.
“It’s a long season and, as I've said before, you have to stay the course,” added the Wanderers’ boss. “We are going to drop points. Every team does and we've seen today that people around us have dropped points.
“It happens in football, but for us it's about staying together; not just the players and the staff, but the supporters as well and understanding that we are going to lose and we are going to drop points but making sure we have a reaction and do it together.
“To achieve something together that's what we need. We need unity and we've seen that from the fans. They were amazing today and I'm delighted we managed to get the three points and send them home happy.
“I'm delighted with the players the way they played. We believe in our process and our performance and if we can play like that we believe the points will come and we deserve that today.
“We played really well, dominated for large parts of the game, limited them to very little and I'm just so pleased that we've managed to get the three points.
“I'm delighted, but just an air of caution just to get our feet back on the ground and focus on a difficult game at Fleetwood on Friday. We're not even halfway through this season. There's so much football to play, there's no talk of this or that. It's just focusing on the next game the next opportunity and that's the way it has to be.”