LINCOLN City boss Mark Kennedy felt the score-line did not tell the true story of the game against

Wanderers

on the opening day of the League One campaign.

Though goals from Jack Iredale, Victor Adeboyejo and an own goal from Paudie O’Connor left his team nursing their first defeat on the opening day of the season since August 2010, the Imps boss took plenty from a game he felt was closer than outsiders might have predicted.

“No-one wants to lose three-nil but it was to two set pieces and an o.g. today, so that is disappointing but I have no issue with possession stats – I never, ever expected to come here and dominate the ball. I am pretty calm about that,” he said.

“I think there were some good moments, particularly first half, we started the second half really well and I even thought in the last part of the game we got into some good areas but didn’t really show killer instinct to go and deliver key crosses in good areas.

“Hand on heart I thought it was a nightmare game, coming into it, but I really believed we could take something – but the bottom line is two set pieces and an o.g. that’s it.”

Lincoln had the sixth best defensive record in the division last season but Kennedy was under no illusion what had put his team at a disadvantage.

“We said to the guys after the game: ‘What cost us the game?’ And they said: ‘Set pieces,’ and I said: ‘No, no, no, what cost us the game?’ Individuals not doing their jobs properly. And that is how you learn,” he said.

“After doing so well last year do I think it is because we have lost a couple in that area? No I don’t. it is just accountability.

“I can take it here. I can take it on the chin. We dust ourselves down.

“When you watch the best teams in the league there is two things they have in common: The first is delivery and the second is the desire to head or defend goals, and that was the difference today.”

Lincoln did not manage a single shot on target of their six in 105-plus minutes, whereas Bolton managed four out of 16 in total.

Evatt’s side dominated 70 per cent of the ball but Kennedy was not concerned with that statistic.

“If you look at where they had the ball for the majority of the game, it was in the back three. You can have the ball there because it is 70 yards from my goal,” he said.

“I thought we managed that quite well, I am not bothered if they want to play around with the ball at the back. It was always going to be a counter-attacking performance, hit them on the break or get a set piece, a goal was always going to be something in that and I thought there were some promising moments in it. There is a lot to take forward.

“If you come away and lose 1-0, people think you must have done alright – but Lukas has only made a couple of saves, he had a quiet day at the office.

“Where I was most disappointed is that we didn’t hit the target today having got into some good areas.”