Michael Skubala made a big decision in leaving the comforts of his coaching role at Leeds United to take on the manager’s job at Lincoln City but there have been early reasons to suggest it was the right call.
With the Imps showing far more resilience since the turn of the year, Skubala has shown why he was such a well-liked figure during his time at Elland Road.
Getting The Managerial Bug At Leeds
When Leeds parted company with Jesse Marsch last season, Skubala was the man tasked with steadying the ship at Elland Road. Thrown in at the deep end with a trip to Old Trafford, Skubala oversaw an impressive 2-2 draw against Manchester United, who are outsiders at 250/1 in the Premier League winner odds to claim the title this season. A 2-0 defeat the following week to the Red Devils, who are 6/1 to finish in the top four in the football betting tips, and a 1-0 loss at Everton meant Skubala’s time in the dugout with Leeds was shortlived, but it was clear he enjoyed the challenge with the Whites. Having coped well under difficult circumstances at Leeds, when the opportunity came to replace Mark Kennedy at Lincoln, it was one that Skubala grabbed with both hands.
Taking on the Imps job in November, it was always going to take time to implement the new manager’s ideas. Time was something Skubala could not afford in the pressure cooker at Leeds but it was not long before he earned his first win at Lincoln City. After a 1-0 defeat at Stevenage in his opening game, the Imps bagged their first three points under their new manager with a 1-0 win at Leyton Orient. It started a run of four games unbeaten in all competitions, before a difficult spell over the festive period in a tough schedule. Skubala would have felt some early pressure to turn things around but the start of the new year has seen an upturn in fortunes for the League One outfit.
Imps Starting To Reap Rewards
It might well have been a case that Lincoln had to go through that dark time in December to start fixing the problems and improving results. Straight defeats over the festive period against Derby County, Bolton Wanderers, Northampton Town and Blackpool were hard to take, but a last-minute equaliser at Wycombe Wanderers on New Year’s Day seemed to see Lincoln turn a corner.
The Imps would go the rest of January unbeaten, before recording back-to-back wins over Burton Albion and Fleetwood Town at the start of February. Skubala can take great credit for making the Imps more solid at the back, as they kept three consecutive clean sheets against Derby, Peterborough United and Burton in the early weeks of 2024. That resilience at the back will stand Lincoln in good stead as they try to narrow the substantial gap in the top six.
A playoff appearance might be out of reach for Lincoln this season but Skubala appears to be putting the foundations in place that could see a promotion push for the Imps next term.
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