Michael Skubala praised the resilience of his former players after City claimed a 1-0 win at Ashton Gate, and explained how Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw have produced a different Lincoln City.
Freddie Draper’s second winner in four days settled our first meeting with our former boss, giving Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw another away victory to follow Saturday’s success at Preston.
The hosts had enjoyed the better of the first-half chances, with Lorent Tolaj heading against the bar and Yu Hirakawa causing problems, but we came out strongly after the interval and took advantage of uncertainty in their defence. There were opportunities to extend our lead before Bristol City pushed for an equaliser, with George Wickens saving from Hirakawa and the Imps standing firm through the closing stages.
“I thought first half we were getting on top,” said Michael Skubala in his press interview.
“I thought we had a couple of moments. I knew Lincoln would be solid. They’re built on solid foundations and come for a moment. I thought we ran a lot of territory without any really clean-cut chances, but probably created more half chances than they did.
“I thought we dealt with their physicality well. I thought we dealt with their directness and then we started to get on top of the game.”
The decisive moment came in the 53rd minute, with Ben House’s high press putting the home defence under pressure as they tried to play out. A mix-up involving Rob Dickie and Sam Tickle left the goalkeeper stranded, Ben nicked possession, and Freddie supplied a composed finish into the unguarded net.
“In the second half, yeah, we gift them a goal,” added Michael. “There’s no doubt about that. We don’t need to take the risk there, and we gift them a goal, and then when you go one-nil down against Lincoln, it’s always gonna be a very tough gig to try and get the goal back.
“I think after that, I don’t think we were good enough with the ball. We didn’t move the ball quick enough. We didn’t get in behind them enough.”
Asked which qualities in our performance he wanted to build into his Bristol City team, Michael pointed to the work rate and determination to deny the opposition opportunities. Those were certainly evident as we protected our advantage, with the home side becoming increasingly frustrated as the evening wore on.
“I think when you see players built with Lincoln, they’ll run very hard. They won’t give up any soft chance. They won’t give up anything away, and we need to build that resilience into us. There’s no doubt about that.
“We have some good players here. We have some super young talent, but you can’t be sloppy with that, and they’re still learning. So they’ve got lots to learn about the level and going Saturday, Tuesday. Lincoln have some very experienced players in their team.”
However, Michael was also clear that this City side is different from the one he left behind. There are familiar qualities within the group, but Chris and Tom are putting their own stamp on how we play, and their former boss acknowledged that distinction. Our recent results had come as no surprise to someone who knows the players so well.
“They’re different. It’s a different team. They play differently. I knew they would come and make it very difficult, and I’ve said that before, that it hasn’t surprised me about the results at Preston and the results at home. It doesn’t surprise me at all because I know the group well.”
Michael remains a top bloke and someone whose contribution to our club will always deserve recognition. There is plenty of affection for him here, just as Chris and Tom have spoken warmly about the opportunities he gave them, but that could wait until after the final whistle.
Last night, the apprentices toppled their master, sending the Imps into the top eight in the Championship.
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