The EFL Trophy pits League One and Two sides against Academy teams from 16 Premier League clubs.
City bowed out of the group stages following two draws and this defeat at the LNER Stadium.
They succumbed to Michael Skubala’s team who are riding high in fifth in League One following 1-1 draws against both Grimsby and Chesterfield.
Wilkinson’s young charges finished third in the four-team table, with the Spireites and the Imps going through to the knockout stages.
In his defence, Wilkinson went into this third game in the competition with an understrength squad, many of his charges called up to their respective nations in the international break.
But he was honest in his appraisal post-game.
“I said to the lads it’s a bit of a reality check in terms of it was a team performing well in League One and who were probably too much for us in terms of the all-round intensity they played at, physicality they showed, the quality they had, the clarity in their game plan,” he said.
“Credit to them. For us it was a bit of a reality check and a reminder of how hard it is to be a professional footballer and to play every week. It was a difficult night and one we need to take the lessons from.”
Wilkinson stressed that his team didn’t do enough in this game – or in the three matches overall.
But he said the timings of the goals on the evening didn’t help matters either, with the second coming just before half-time and the third arriving soon after the break.
“I think at 1-0 down, you want to get in at half-time at 1-0,” he added.
“But we conceded the second goal at the back end of the first half and that really hurt us.
“We knew we had to make one or two changes as well which defensively were going to weaken us in terms of not necessarily the personnel but we have a lot of defenders away with England and therefore playing a lot of players out of position who are inexperienced in the backline.
“I think the second goal was a big moment because at 1-0 you’re still in the game. The second goal makes it harder and then we concede just after half-time, it’s difficult then.
“We never really, whilst we were in the game, test them for long enough, make enough passing sequences, credit to them for the way they defended.
“It’s something for us to look at and over the course of the three games, the first two games lot of positives but over the three we have not hurt opposition as much as we’d like to and not created enough over the three games.
“We have loads to take out of it but a reality check at where we are.”
