LINCOLN CITY boss Danny Cowley insists there is no reason to panic and says the Imps are still in a great position despite being knocked off the top of the National League.
Cowley's side huffed and puffed at Boreham Wood on Tuesday night but couldn't break down a tough home defence.
Second half goals from Ricky Shakes and Bruno Andrade fired Wood to a 2-0 victory and handed the Imps their first league defeat since the end of January at Barrow.
Lincoln's slip up allowed Forest Green to take over top spot and Christian Doidge's late goal saw them beat Solihull Moors 2-1 to go three points clear.
Despite dropping to second, the Imps have three games in hand over Rovers and are still two points clear of third placed Tranmere.
With their involvement in the FA Cup and FA Trophy now over, Cowley's charges are free to concentrate on their National League run-in.
The Imps have 11 games remaining including crunch matches against Forest Green, this Saturday, and Dagenham at the beginning of April.
And Cowley is still pleased with his side's progress in his first season at Sincil Bank despite Tuesday night's defeat in Hertfordshire.
“The fans want the club to get promoted and they'll be disappointed, like we all are,” Cowley told Lincolnshire Live after the game.
“But it's not a time to panic because we're still in a great position and we've had a great season. We have to enjoy these moments, as they don't come along every day.
“We haven't had many disappointments like tonight. We've had only one loss in seven [in the league]. We have to be big enough and strong enough to be able to cope with that.
“I'm not going to criticise the players because they've been brilliant all season. We didn't quite have the quality but it wasn't for the want of trying. We'll stick together. True team spirit comes in the face of adversity.”
