Lincoln City head coach Michael Skubala was suitably impressed with his side after beating Leyton Orient 2-1, but was quick to point out the strength of the opposition, despite their lowly position.
City led 2-0 at the break thanks to Jack Moylan’s smart finish and a Will Forrester own goal, but clung on to three points at the end as Forrester twice tested George Wickens.
Orient now hover dangerously above the drop zone, and their total of 50 points, enough to stay up every season since 2018/19, might no longer be enough.
“Leyton Orient really needed these three points,” said Michael in his post-match interview with John Helm.
“I don’t think it’s done yet for 50 points. I don’t think 50 points is going to keep a team up this season.”
There has been an accusation levelled at League One this season that it isn’t strong, but as we look to amass close to 100 points, a huge amount, the bar for staying up is also being raised. That points to more quality being evenly spread, which makes our achievement look even better.
“You forget we’re not just out there, we’re out there fighting against another team that really needs three points,” added Michael.
“That’s what makes it a good, exciting league. We feel like, yeah we’ve got promoted, but we want to win the title.”
We need four points to secure the title at present, a total that could change on Tuesday. We could win the league at Stevenage next weekend, or at Doncaster the week after. However, the former are bang in the play-off hunt, while the latter on 53 points, are not yet mathematically safe.
That means whenever we go out against a team at present, they have something to play for.
“We’re going against and fighting teams that, A, need to stay up or, B, want to get into the playoffs. So there’s no easy game,” finished Michael.
“To come through that game today, and with a team that needs three points, but at times we dominated them, was an excellent performance.”
It was a good performance from City, who looked dominant in spells. The first 20 minutes were frantic, with us getting the lead, and the opening period of the first half should have seen us extend our lead. However, a spirited Orient side found chances in the dying stages, but could not break our resolve, and the game finished 2-1.
All eyes now turn to Huddersfield and Cardiff City on Tuesday night, as for once, we want the Terriers to get a result and help us towards the Holy Grail of the League One title.