Michael Skubala Reflects On Returning Players And How To Get Them Minutes

At one point, it felt like there was never going to be a chance to see Tyler Walker back in a Lincoln City shirt.

However, he’s been back around the group recently, and came on against Morecambe in the EFL Trophy earlier in the month. That’s put him firmly in with a chance of minutes against Reading this weekend, albeit as a sub.

If he was to return to league action, it would be only his seventh appearance since joining from Coventry City in the summer of 2023, capping a horrible time for the forward. Walker, who bagged 14 goals from 26 starts in his first spell here, hasn’t found the back of the net for any club since scoring for Coventry City against Huddersfield Town in March 2023.

However, that doesn’t mean his attributes are not going to be hugely helpful for the Imps, and as Michael Skubala admitted in his pre-match press conference this week, Tyler will bring something a little bit different to the current strikers.

“I think we know what Tyler can bring when he’s fully fit and performance sharp and match sharp,” said Michael. “I don’t think he’s quite there yet. He’s very good in the box, can finish well, got loads of attributes that we like and is a goal scorer. It’s just trying to get him on the pitch and trying to get him match minutes since he hasn’t played for so long. So, yeah, we’ve got to work out a way to do that, and hopefully he can start competing for a shirt with the nines as well.”

Walker isn’t the only player who has experienced time on the sidelines of late; summer signing Tom Bayliss also returned against Morecambe. Like Tyler, he’s not quite ready for 90 minutes, but he could still make an appearance against the Royals.

“He’s back now,” confirmed Michael. “He’s been training very well last week, and he’s ready to go. He’s raring to go, but they’re not both fitted to do 90 minutes or even 60 minutes. So it’s about how we can utilize their expertise with a fully fit group and how we get them planning. Match sharpness is the issue because he’s not had the games.”

That is an issue for clubs like ours – while the Vertu Trophy gives players minutes, throwing them in the deep end in league matches can be tough. Given the intensity of the calendar at present, there’s no scope for friendlies, and, as Michael pointed out, there’s no Under 21 or 23 side to blood these returning faces either.

“One of the challenges with injured players is how to get them on the pitch to get them games. If there are a lot of games but not enough opportunities to get them on the pitch, that’s my challenge and my conundrum: how we can do that without having, you know, like a 21s program.

“Naturally, you saw Botman this week drop back into Newcastle, straight into a 23s program. We haven’t got that. So we have to try and think about how we can get them on the pitch at the right moments. We’ve been carrying five substitutions or seven substitutions, but only five can get on the pitch. So that’s the challenge. But yeah, let’s see how we go.”

However he chooses to bring them back in, there’s no doubt the squad will look more rounded with Walker and Bayliss in. How long before we see them challenging for a start is anyone’s guess, but being back on the bench and available is a huge leap forward.