Michael Skubala spoke of his delight at his Lincoln City side’s performance as they convincingly bested Shrewsbury Town 3-0 on Tuesday to make one step closer to the playoffs.
Skubala took over the Imps in November, following Mark Kennedy’s dismissal, and had a tricky start to life at Sincil Bank, including a run of no wins in ten which continued until the end of January. However, since then, The Imps have completely turned their fortunes around, going unbeaten in nine.
Ted Bishop gave Lincoln an early lead as they looked to continue that run on Tuesday and Skubala’s men could have been out of sight after just 20 minutes. It took until after half-time, but the killer goals did come for the Imps through wing-backs Reeco Hackett and Lasse Sorenson.
Lincoln City started well and made sure it was a convincing performance they could be proud of. Speaking after the game to BBC Radio Lincolnshire, Michael Skubala was keen to commend his side post-match.
“The first 20 minutes we were electric, I have to say, I thought the lads were unbelievable, the way we came out against a team which turned Reading over 3-2 last week was just unbelievable.
“I think when you see goals being shared around you know we’re in a good place because the way we’re trying to play, goals can come from different areas,” he continued.
“The really pleasing thing for me tonight was how we dealt with Chey Dunkley on set pieces. He didn’t have a lot, he’s a real handful. Scotty Fry our set-piece goalkeeping coach had a plan to put two on him and we really nullified him, so I was really pleased.”
Skubala also admitted he is looking forward to a big test on Saturday as Stevenage travel to the LNER Stadium in another must-win game for the Imps.
“It’s going to be a really tough game. Everyone knows what Stevenage are about and it’s a different game with a different style so it’s going to be difficult for us but the lads have been brilliant at having a little bit of a run and hopefully, we can make it really hard for Stevenage to come here.
“The supporters are going to be really important for Saturday to get the support behind us as we know it’s going to be a really tough game.”
Writer’s View
Skubala deserves real praise for the way he has transformed this Lincoln City side into one that can dominate matches as they did over a weak Shrewsbury team on Tuesday, but perhaps more impressively, their recent defensive record is almost perfect, meaning they always stand a chance in any game.
The Imps host Stevenage on Saturday in what is now a make-or-break moment for the club. Three points will put them right back in the playoff conversation, but a loss could leave it just beyond them. Steve Evans’ side will bring a robust style to combat Skubala’s high press, meaning an entertaining affair could certainly be in order.
