In true Jon Snow style, winter is coming. The nights are pulling in, my Dad always said (always, even on June 22nd), and when that happens, Lincoln City lose.
That’s the perception. Keith Alexander always spoke of his November collapses, and recently, Christmas hasn’t been too jolly for the Mighty Imps. We go into a vital Christmas period now, with hopes of a play-off challenge swirling around Sincil Bank.
Pick up points against the likes of Cardiff, Huddersfield and Stockport, and we’ll give ourselves a huge lift as we enter 2026. Pick up nothing after our turkey until we’re deep into January, and we can expect another clash with Sheffield Wednesday in the third tier next season (not a bad prospect, to be fair).
In his press conference yesterday, head coach Michael Skubala addressed the Christmas slump, explaining how it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
“I think sometimes those those things can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, can’t they? With people expecting things to happen,” he said.
“Every season for me since I’ve been here has been different, has felt different. The runs have been different, the ups and downs have been different, but there’s one thing for sure, in this this winter period, it gets tough.”
That toughness includes injuries – when Michael arrived, we only had one fit striker, Jovon Makama, a long while before he became Norwich City’s bright young hope. Danny Mandroiu getting a suspension didn’t help either.
Last season, battered by injuries, we turned in a few powder puff performances, not least against a resurgent Shrewsbury and a poor Rotherham side.
This season, with injury worries around Ben House and James Collins, there is a fresh challenge to be had.
“It gets tough with knocks, it gets tough with you start having people with yellow cards and sending offs and more injuries. That’s why it hits. It always hits in December and January and and obviously because the amount of games that come, I think we’ve got three or four games in the space of a week through the Christmas period.
“League One is tough. It’s an old cliche, but it’s right. We just have to take every game as it comes and and try and get the three points on the day.”
That quest starts tonight as we search for our first back-to-back home wins since Luton and Peterborough at the end of September.
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