Michael Skubala became only the third Lincoln City manager to collect three Football League Manager of the Month awards this morning, joining Colin Murphy and Graham Taylor.
He became only the second to collect three or more in a season, a remarkable achievement given our position in the budget table, and the size of some of our rivals.
The Imps were relentless in February, dropping just two points in the tie with Bolton, and putting four past Plymouth, Blackpool and Northampton Town to underline our promotion credentials.
Michael knows it’s a good month, but a single award with his name on it won’t win the title, and doesn’t tell the whole story of a collaborative and cohesive unit working together to put the Imps as close to the Championship (post-Sky TV) as we’ve ever been.
“February was a great month for us and has put us into a good position, but we know there’s a lot of football still to be played and we need to work hard and maintain our high standards over the remaining games,” said Michael.
“As with any success this has been a real team effort. Every single person at the Gen 2 Energy Elite Performance Centre is focused on giving the players the best chance to perform to the best of their abilities.”
That endorsement of the collaborative environment was echoed by Imps staff further up the chain, outlining how this award is a team effort, as any possible promotion would be.
“It is a fantastic achievement for Michael to win this award for the third time this season, and it is also testament to the exceptional people we have in our football department,” added sporting director Jez George.
“While the technical team of Chris (Cohen), Tom (Shaw) and David (Preece) play a huge role, Michael and the coaching team are so well supported by Mason Cook and George Bush, two incredibly hard working and talented young analysts, who will rarely receive any public acknowledgement, but are hugely valued inside our building.
“Our strength on the pitch is the collective and that is the same off the pitch, across the entire football department. Michael creates such a collaborative environment that every member of staff is able to contribute through their own area of expertise, which is harnessed by a collective desire to be successful for the club, not themselves.
“This award is also for our medical and sports science department led by Josh Snowden and Kieran Walker, our recruitment department, led by Joe Hutchison, and our operations and administration department, led by Adam Thurston and Matt Murgett, as well as every member of football staff at the Gen 2 Energy Elite Performance Centre.”
Michael has won it twice already this season, in September and January, and will now be aiming to finish the season on a high and perhaps even match Graham Taylor, who took the award four times in his 1975/76 title winning season, which saw the Imps amass a record points total under the old two points for a win system.
What the panel said
Danny Wilson chairs the Sky Bet Championship Manager of the Month judging panel. He said of Skubala’s win: “For the third month on the spin, Lincoln are unbeaten again with 13 points from five games, 15 goals scored and only two conceded, as they continue to battle for the title with Cardiff.”
Sky Sports’ EFL pundit Don Goodman said: “Lincoln City continue their charge towards automatic promotion and Michael Skubala deserves immense credit for the intensity and consistency his side show week in week out.
“The Imps picked up 13 points from their five games and did so with impressive wins over Plymouth, Northampton and Blackpool.”
Sky Bet EFL trader Ivor Davies said: “Michael Skubala oversaw a remarkable month for Lincoln that has transformed their title chances.
“The Imps produced a near-perfect run of results to surge to the top of the table and are now just 3/10 from 9/4 at the start of the month with Sky Bet to win the title, which is a remarkable position given expectations before the campaign started.”
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