‘Everybody Wants To Beat Us’ – Michael Skubala Speaks Ahead Of Lincoln City Day Off

Michael Skubala suggested that Lincoln City have a target on their backs going into the final ten games of the season.

Six wins from ten will guarantee the Imps Championship football next season, or a points tally of 17. That will reduce with every game Bolton do not win, but at present the maths still say we may not go up.

The fixture list looks kind: Port Vale, Rotherham, Leyton Orient and Doncaster are all in the bottom half of the current League One form table. That, of course, means very little, as we’ve been great at stopping in-form teams, and as last night’s win shows, putting out-of-form teams to the sword as well.

The trip to Devon may have taken a bit out of the players, who will look forward to a home game this weekend, and after the game last night, Michael said the players would have a day off today.

“We’re going to get back late tonight, they’re going to have tomorrow off, and then we’re back into Thursday working Thursday and Friday,” he said in his post-match interview.

That allows us to prepare for Stockport County, a game that at one time looked like a promotion six-pointer but now looks like just another game. It could be record-breaking: if we avoid defeat it will be 20 unbeaten, a new club record.

That does not make it any different for Michael, who admitted the challenge now is that everyone wants to beat us.

“It’s going to be an amazing game at home, another exciting game for the fans with a really good team, and we’ll be ready.

“This group’s amazing, you can see that, and it’s the challenge for us that everybody wants to beat us. That’s the important thing, but tonight we had to be really resolute, and we go again.”

Meetings between us and Stockport have been few and far between at Sincil Bank, but at one time our record was terrible. It will be their second trip here in 14 years, but in ten games between 1981 and 2010 we scored three goals and won just once. Two of those goals came courtesy of Gary Birch in our 2005 win.

Here’s hoping for better luck this time out!