Michael Skubala took a moment before the 2-0 win against Port Vale this afternoon to explain the absence of popular midfielder Ivan Varfolomeev.
The Ukrainian Under 21 international missed the recent awards dinner at the Engine Shed as he was poorly, and he was absent again this afternoon. Tom Bayliss took his place in the starting XI, with Kamil Conteh on the bench as the Imps brushed aside Port Vale in the final game of the season.
It lead to a little internet speculation that Varfolomeev might be a transfer target for a bigger club, and while that may well be the case given his introduction to English football, it did not contribute to his absence.
“Ivan has a bit of swelling in his knee,” said Skubala. “We think he’s fine, but we don’t want to take any risks.”
There were no risks taken with the starting XI either, no wholesale changes, and that paid off. City won 2-0 with goals from Ben House and Rob Street, and Michael explained that was the focus, even without Varfolomeev.
“It is another league game that we want to get three points from, that is just us. When that whistle goes, our full focus will be on winning the game.
“The lads have trained very well this week, so we’re ready to go, and we’ve set them the challenge of going 29 games unbeaten to finish the season.”
The Imps now go into the summer break looking forward to second-tier football for the first time since 1961, and as a side promoted to the second tier for the first time since 1952. They leave a trail of destruction in their wake, including a divisional record of 29 matches unbeaten, smashing Luton’s 28 games from 2018/19.
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