The Lincoln City Championship campaign continues with a meeting against Bolton Wanderers, but there will be little mystery surrounding the opposition when the two sides take to the field.
While we’ve seen plenty of the Trotters over the past couple of seasons, Chris Cohen knows Bolton head coach Steven Schumacher particularly well, having worked as his assistant at Stoke City. Their friendship has continued since they went their separate ways, although the usual contact has understandably been placed on hold ahead of this weekend’s encounter.
That familiarity should give both coaches a clear idea of what to expect. Chris knows how Schumacher wants his sides to play, while the Bolton boss will have his own understanding of the principles our head coach is attempting to establish at Sincil Bank.
“Yeah, (he’s) a manager I worked for as well at Stoke,” Chris told Imps+.
“He’s a good friend of mine and we still speak all the time. Not this week, we won’t speak this week.
“Steven always sets up his teams really well. We know the game that we’re going to face and we know the challenge that it’s going to be. Like I’ve said before, we go into every game with a plan that we think will enable us to take three points.”
The more intriguing question concerns the side selected for the trip. So far, all Championship starters have been League One winners, but after Tuesday’s win at Blackpool, that could change.
The players retained from last season earned their opportunity at Championship level after an exceptional campaign, but City have also recruited with the increased demands of the division in mind. Cohen, though, does not see selection as a choice between loyalty and evolution.
“Just picking the best team to win, that’s all we’ll ever do,” Chris said, with the interview carried over to Red Imps Club on the BBC.
“Sometimes it’s going to take longer for a new player to integrate and sometimes they integrate really quickly.
“As we’ve spoken about so many times, we are so happy with the group that we retained from last year. We know they’re capable at Championship level, but it’s mine and Tom’s job, and our job as a staff, to put the right balance of the team out for every game. We’ll continue to do that.”
Chris also revealed that the starting XI isn’t the only conundrum they face, with the game broken down into key elements.
“We don’t just look at the game as one whole, we look at it in parts. We look at a team to start the game, a team to come on and chase, and a team to come on and look after a lead.
“We’ll pick the best team, as we always do, and that will involve lots of old players and lots of new players.”
Against an opponent managed by someone who knows Chris well, City may need several answers. It’s unlikely that familiarity will make the tactical battle any different: we have met Bolton plenty of times over the last few seasons for Chris and Schumacher’s relationship to be nothing but a subplot.
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