‘Evened Up’ – Michael Skubala Reflects On Suggested Lincoln City Handball Moment

The Lincoln City Championship push continued yesterday with a late 1-0 win against a resolute AFC Wimbledon side.

Johnnie Jackson’s side refused to play patsy without a fight, and it took Ryan Oné’s 88th-minute winner to separate the two sides likely to be in different divisions next season. Wimbledon looked likely to force a draw until Dom Jefferies slung in a late cross, which Oné bundled in after being teed up by Ryley Towler.

At first glance, there was a hint of handball. With a second look, it does appear that Towler handles the ball into the path of Oné to grab his fourth goal of a successful loan spell with the Imps. Referee Ed Duckworth didn’t spot it, and the goal stood.

When asked immediately after the game, Michael Skubala admitted he hadn’t seen the goal, but quickly pointed to another decision that went against us recently.

“I’ve not seen that,” he told John Helm. “But, I think back to the Huddersfield one. We didn’t get one. So, if we got this one, it’s evened up a little bit, isn’t it?”

Michael preferred to focus on the positives, with Dom Jefferies on the field for just seven minutes before he delivered the cross which changed the game, and Ryan Oné also coming off the bench to bag the goal.

“The subs have to play the part in modern football for me,” he said. “You cannot rely on 11 players. And that’s been the thought process, even back to the summer last season when we recruited a strong group that could play their part.

“DJ, his cross was excellent, and Alfie Lloyd coming on, Ivan coming on. Tom Bayliss, a couple of weeks ago at Huddersfield was excellent that got us back in the game.

“So, it’s great to see them all playing their part and they need to be ready when they’re called upon and they’ve done that very well.”

Michael has now seen 15 goals scored by players introduced from the bench, the most in the division, and there is no doubt that is part of the reason we’ve reached the cusp of the Championship, even if we did get a helping hand in the 15th.

City now make the difficult trip to Reading, a side that surged into the play-off picture recently after a tough start. They have just five games to play, and teams below them are getting close, meaning they’re going to be hunting a win. City know that a single point will be enough to secure a return to the second tier for the first time since 1961.