Lincoln City head coach Michael Skubala believes a 1-1 draw with Reading at the Select Car Leasing Stadium earlier this afternoon was a “fair result”.
The Imps were the in-form team in League One over the past few weeks as Skubala’s side picked up five wins from their previous five outings and managed to leap over Oxford United and Stevenage to sit inside the final play-off place.
Opinion: This Lincoln City Player Is The Most Underrated In League One
Unfortunately, this position in the top six was short-lived as Des Buckingham’s U’s have reclaimed their place in the play-offs this past week with back-t0-back victories against Fleetwood Town and Burton Albion, scoring eight goals and conceding none in the process.
Had Lincoln City held onto their 1-0 lead following Freddie Draper’s goal inside the final 20 minutes of the game, they would have kept their spot in League One’s top six teams on goal difference. However, Tyler Bindon dealt a hammer blow to the Imps in the 83rd minute by heading home a Lewis Wing corner to rescue a point for Reading.
Despite scoring 20 goals in five games before travelling to Berkshire, Skubala’s men struggled to create many opportunities, ending the game with just four shots in total which registered a measly xG of 0.23. Three of their shots on goal came outside the penalty area.
https://twitter.com/LincolnCity_FC/status/1776670948810194952
Speaking after the final whistle to club media, Skubala admitted it was “disappointing” to concede after going in front but admitted that a point apiece was probably a fair outcome on the balance of play.
“I think it was a fair result when you look at it over the 90 minutes,” he said.
“It’s a little bit disappointing when you go 1-0 up and want to see it out. We’ve been good recently with set-pieces too.
“The boys will be frustrated but we have to go again. We’ll talk about how to improve on it in future, but not dwell on it.
“All in all, it’s a fair point. There will be twists and turns to come, as I’ve been saying,” Skubala continued.
Lincoln City Set To Target Promotion Rivals To Bolster Squad
“We have high standards and want to win games, and we came here to win.
“They’re good at home, are a tough team to play against and have some good players. It’s a point on the road and we keep going.”
Writer’s View
It was certainly a disappointing result for Lincoln City who have looked untouchable over the past few weeks. However, Reading are a difficult team to play against this season, particularly at the Select Car Leasing Stadium due to the togetherness the team have built with supporters after what has been such a gruelling year off the pitch.
Once the Imps can keep themselves within touching distance of the play-offs, they will have a great chance of finishing inside the top six. A showdown with Oxford United in mid-April is now more important than ever before.
