Lincoln City face Oxford United this evening knowing defeat will send them out of the play-off hunt.
By the time you read this, there’s every chance the Imps will be planning for next season, and that includes deciding which of the existing squad deserves a new deal. Danny Mandroiu and Lasse Sorensen are both out of contract, but both are believed to have an option in the club’s favour, ensuring another year if it is required. TJ Eyoma, Hakeeb Adelakun, Lewis Montsma and Ted Bishop are also out of contract; in those instances, a new deal will be required.
Bishop has been an enigma during his time with the Imps. He’s been sublime in moments, a slick presence in the middle of the park that helps drive the team forward. However, he’s also suffered with injuries – neither Michael Appleton nor Mark Kennedy were able to get regular starts out of him, and both struggled to get him to play 90 minutes. He started 28 league matches in his first season and just 19 last campaign.
This season feels a little different in that he has come off the bench 14 times—collectively, in his first two seasons, he only emerged from the bench on 13 occasions. His goals tally has been fairly steady—four, three, and four this season. His assists tally has been consistent as well—two in each of his first seasons and four this campaign. However, there hasn’t been a deep reliance on him in this campaign. In 2021/22 and 2022/23, the Imps needed him fit, and when he could, he played. The squad evolution under Michael Skubala has meant he’s been used a little as a sub and a little as a first-team player.
🗑 Top bins from Ted!#WeAreImps | @Ted10Bishop pic.twitter.com/yab8ps1mx0
— Lincoln City FC 🇺🇦 (@LincolnCity_FC) April 1, 2024
That might not feel like the best leverage for a new deal, but it actually is. With so many subs allowed, the modern game is about so much more than the starting XI. It’s a competition that relies on a squad, not just for cover during an injury crisis. Bishop came off the bench early in the season against Wycombe with the score 0-0 and inspired the team to a 3-0 win. A week before, he came off the bench against Shrewsbury and helped turn a dour 0-0 into three points away from home. He has an effect form the bench, and that’s of value in the modern game.
There’s also the effect that Michael Skubala has on one player. Under the former head coach, Mark Kennedy, Bishop completed a 90-minute league game just once against Forest Green in August 2023. That’s from 25 starts across a season and a couple of months, a paltry 4%. That’s a luxury a club can ill-afford, especially when the player is out of position, often playing on the wing. Under the manager in charge when he arrived, Michael Appleton, he completed nine out of 28 starts (32%), again often out of position. Under Michael Skubala, he’s completed 7 matches from 16 starts (43%) and made 90 minutes (including first-half injury time) in another. He’s been fitter since Skubala has come in, and he’s been better since the former Leeds head coach started playing him centrally.
That’s why Lincoln City should be offering Bishop a new contract. He may only complete 90 minutes 43% of the time, but if he’s coming off the bench another 30% of the time and changing games, he is surely worth every penny. The days are gone when a squad of 13 could get you through a season, when you could make one sub and rarely did that. Managers need to be agile, they need a complex array of players on the bench to plan for different eventualities, and to change shape and approach mid game if things are not working out.
Whether he starts or not, Ted Bishop is a great footballer, as good as anyone on his day in the division. He would be an asset for any club at this level willing to accept his role may be as the number 12, straddling the first team and subs bench, but having a significant impact from both places.
