Lincoln City Player of the Season, Conor McGrandles, admits that the squad had an inkling they might be in for a special season back in July.
The Imps have smashed League One, amassing 100 points, going 28 games unbeaten and leading both the goals scored and the fewest conceded tables. In one week, they may also collect the longest unbeaten run of any team in League One, 29 matches, an all-time record currently shared with Luton Town.
Yesterday, on a warm afternoon at the Bank, Wycombe were beaten 4-3 to ensure no team has done the double over us this season, and to stretch the unbeaten home run to 17 matches. Many might feel that the success has come from nowhere, but when asked by BBC Radio Lincolnshire whether he could see something special happening in pre-season, McGrandles admitted he could.
“Yeah, 100%. You just don’t know exactly what that is. And then once you get into the games and you play all the teams, you kind of find yourself thinking, oh, we’re actually pretty good here.
“And then the standards that the boys set every single day, the standards the staff set every single day, you knew that once we got going that we were never going to let off, and that’s been the case.”
One of the really impressive elements of late has been the side’s ability to deliver even with a job done. After secruing promotion at Reading, we have kept the pressure on, winning against Orient, rescuing a point late at Stevenage and winning the title at Doncaster.
Even with the title in the bag, there has been no complacency, proven by us winning 4-3 yesterday, after seeing our three-goal lead cut to 3-2.
“I think it shows the mentality and the standards that we set, that after the Reading game we could have easily dropped off, after the Donny game we could have easily dropped off today, but we somehow find a way to win these games.
“The games that we haven’t played well in, we find a way to win or at least not lose, and I think that’s the hallmark of a brilliant team.”
Indeed, while 100 points, a title, and third place being closer to the bottom four than us all scream, ‘brilliant team’, the ability to remain relentless, pushing for more, when the biggest achievement is in the bag, has been something special to watch.
Now, McGrandles and the squad have one more chance to go out and make history by taking that long unbeaten record to 29 matches, ending Luton’s spell as the record-holder.
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