Over the past decade or so, Lincoln have won promotion from non-league, played in the FA Cup quarter-finals and made a few appearances at Wembley, where they won their first title. But Saturday is shaping up to be the club’s biggest game in 65 years.
The Imps sit second in League One and face third-placed Bolton at Sincil Bank. A win would put them nine points ahead of the chasing pack in the automatic promotion spots.
If that happens, of course there will be a long way to go (15 games remain), but the prospect of playing in the second division for the first time since 1961 will send fans into dreamland. But coach Michael Skubala needs calm.
“Any time a big team comes to town and they both finish second or third, it always feels like a bigger game,” Skubala said. sky sports. “But for me, we do what we do and try to pursue these three points.
Lincoln takes the second automatic promotion spot.
“There are still 48 points left in this league and we haven’t done anything.
“The beauty and difficulty of football is that things can turn around really quickly, so we just have to focus on this game being worth the same as the three points we got last week.
“Of course it will be an exciting game and the atmosphere will be good with a full crowd, but for me it is all the same.”
But there is good reason to believe that Lincoln could cross the line. The Imps are on a 13-game unbeaten run in Ligue 1. Ligue 1 is proving to be one of the hardest divisions to break out of due to its immense competitiveness.
It’s been almost three months since Lincoln last lost a league game, but that unbeaten run has moved them right outside the play-offs for automatic promotion.
Lincoln have not lost in League One since November 22.
The Skubala team was struggling for consistency in October and November. So what has changed?
“We want to play quickly,” the Lincoln boss said. “We are an aggressive team up front.
“Sometimes it takes time for players to understand how to do it the way we want to do it here and to develop that way.
“It’s just the nature of coaching. Sometimes you have to wait for things to develop, which is good. Then the lads have to go and perform. They’ve done a great job over the last few months.”
Lincoln fans have had their fair share of pain in the league over the past few years. Five years ago, they needed an extra hour of football to secure promotion to the Championship via the play-offs but lost the lead to Blackpool.
Two seasons ago, towards the end of Skubala’s first term at the club, they missed the play-offs on the final day.
After finishing last season in 11th place, questions have been raised about whether the club can get close to the Championship again, especially in terms of budget, where they are among the bottom six or seven teams. But lesson learned.
“We’ve definitely added depth to the squad this year,” Skubala said. “The strategy for the summer was that we didn’t want to go into December and January and not have enough bodies, because I thought that hurt us last year.
“We were able to avoid that through some luck and depth, and now we go into the end of the season in a really good position.”
But one thing they have retained from last season is their set-piece threat. Lincoln were the best team in the third tier in dead ball scenarios last season and that trend has continued with 19 goals this season. They once again topped League One in their division, and fourth overall in England’s top four.
Lincoln lead League One in set pieces.
A lot of research has been done on how to use data from AI to become set-piece experts. Skubala first explored the technical advantage during his time at Leeds, but gained respect for the dead ball while working in England’s futsal coaching set-up.
“People probably don’t understand, but set-pieces are a big part of the game of futsal too,” says Skubala, who coached West Ham defender Max Kilman on his national team set-up.
But the problem with ‘Set Piece FC’ (long throws and a physical style of play in the penalty area) is that it can sometimes invite ridicule.
For example, after the recent 2-2 draw, Luton manager Jack Wilshere said Skubala’s Lincoln were “only interested in getting the ball in the box”.
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Sky Bet League One match highlights between Luton Town and Lincoln City
“I love putting the ball in the box!” Skubala says when that quote was given to him. “If you can put more balls in the box, you will put more balls in the box! That is detrimental to the team.
“I think it’s a really fair comment because that’s what we want to do and the way we want to do it. If we can put more balls in the box and get 100 box items, I’ll take it.”
And in any case, Lincoln is more than just a ‘set piece FC’. If they did, they wouldn’t be where they are.
Lincoln City are not just a set-piece team
“I have enough gray hair,” says Skubala. “I’ve been in the game long enough to also understand that there are some ground rules that can’t be broken. If they fall, nothing else matters.
“Set-pieces have never been important, they’ve always been important, it’s just that how you get the players there now and how you coach them may be slightly different.
“The ball, the green stuff and the two goals have never been moved and it’s 11 to 11 so it stays that way.”
If Lincoln reaches the generational dreamland of a championship, their supporters won’t care how they got there.
With the business end of the season approaching, buzz around the city and the weight of history hanging heavy, Skubala knows supporters will be behind the team for Bolton’s huge encounter.
“Lincoln fans are amazing.” he said “It’s not just this game. I think the city is vibrant with the life of football, supporting the team and getting behind the players. That’s what you want.”
“As a manager, sometimes it’s my job to be the conduit between the fans, the players and the club. And I think there’s a real connection between the city and the players.”
