Is this weekend’s game with Stockport County game 20 of an unbeaten run, or the game where it comes to an end?
A relentless Lincoln City have not just gone 19 unbeaten, but won 15 of those 19. It’s a run which has seen us strengthen our grip on the League One promotion battle to a point where it is ours to lose.
Six weeks ago, a clash with fifth-placed Stockport County seemed vital, a must-win as we head into the final straight. Instead, it’s a game that we know, whatever the outcome is, we will still see us finish in top spot.
That doesn’t make it run-of-the-mill, and Stockport are a top side many expected to be promoted, as Michael Skubala outlined in his pre-match press conference.
“They’re always there or thereabouts,” he said on the Imps’ YouTube channel. “They’re a strong team. They’ve got a top goalscorer and the second top goalscorer in the league who’s on fire this season. Ollie Norwood is quality and there’s quality across the team.”
While there are obvious strengths, it is the weaknesses that bother the City head coach. He has made a team successful in exploiting weaknesses, and that is what the club hope to do this weekend.
“They’ve got huge strengths, but like any team, we think they’ve got weaknesses as well. It’s a really tough game, especially after we’ve been on the road. We’re going to have to be very prepared and very good on the day to get the three points.
“Every game in this league is tough. Exeter was a different style to Cardiff, but we had to grind the points out. What makes a successful team is finding ways to win and we’ve been doing that well.”
City are not only hunting the unbeaten record, but also a record for clean sheets. The longest run of games we have experienced without conceding a goal is five, most recently between December 1984 and February 1985. We’re currently on a run of five games, and a failure to concede in this game would break that record.
We’re also hunting an EFL points record under three points for a win. In 2018/19, we got 85 points to win the League Two title, so we need eight from the final ten matches to beat that as well.
Saturday’s opponent will be hoping to dent our ambitions, and as Michael has explained, they’re equipped to do it, just as Cardiff were last weekend.
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