Lincoln City head coach Michael Skubala has addressed last season’s League One play-off heartbreak, where the Imps missed out on a place in the top six on the final day of the campaign.
When Mark Kennedy was sacked in October last year with the club sitting 16th in the table, a lengthy process was undertaken to find his successor. Eventually, Skubala arrived from Leeds United to take his first permanent managerial role.
This, along with some smart transfer business in January, saw Lincoln surge up the table in the second half of the season. A stunning 16-game unbeaten streak from January to April helped the East Midlanders battle into the play-offs. By the time Portsmouth visited the LNER Stadium on the final day, their fate was in their own hands.
Eventually, Pompey secured a 2-0 win but it could’ve been so different had Danny Mandroiu converted a penalty whilst the score was locked at 0-0. This defeat saw Oxford United steal a place in the top six, eventually securing promotion with a win over Bolton Wanderers at Wembley Stadium.
“Small Margins”
Speaking to Sky Sports, Skubala admitted that missed penalty showcased the small margins in football:
“It’s nice to go close but close isn’t getting there. We had a great run in the second part of the season and that was a great achievement, but ultimately we didn’t make it.
“It always comes down to small margins in football. If we’d have scored that penalty, we might have got into the play-offs and then you never know.
“But ultimately we didn’t. And then you have to move on and look forward.”
Lincoln are looking to go one better this season and currently sit fifth in League One, where they are on a three-game unbeaten run.
Writer’s View
After such a good run of form during the first part of the year, missing out on the play-offs would have been heartbreaking for Lincoln. There wouldn’t have been many teams that would’ve liked to have come up against the Imps at that point and they could have had a real shot at Championship football. However, the good teams put that behind them and go again. Skubala looks to have created a feel-good atmosphere around the club and there won’t be many betting against them launching a promotion bid this season.
Head of Writing
