Lincoln City head coach Chris Cohen confirmed there was no injury to Conor McGrandles following his withdrawal against Swansea City.
While Lincoln City’s lineup is usually quite flexible, substitutions are often easier for fans to predict. Usually, around 65-70 minutes, we see one of the midfielders, Tom Bayliss, Ivan Varfolomeev or Yunus Konka, replace the other. Conor McGrandles is not often part of the equation, but yesterday, it was the hard-working Scot who came off for Konak.
Usually, if Conor comes off, it’s due to him getting a knock, but in his post-match press conference, Chris Cohen confirmed the switch was purely tactical as we looked to find a way back into the game.
“Just tactical,” said Tom in the written press conference after the game.
“Yunus deserved an opportunity to play. Thought it was the right moment. Thought he was bright enough when he came on, and he’s only going to get stronger.
“Conor’s put some hard yards in for us already this year. Just thought that was the right sub to make at that point.”
Konak certainly looked energetic when he came on against the Championship’s top side, but we couldn’t find a goal with either him or McGrandles on the pitch.
Leading through Reeco Hackett’s penalty, it took a quickfire brace after the break to turn the game around, an encounter remembered as much for erratic officiating by Anthony Backhouse as anything.
While our substitutions are often something fans can predict, the outcome after the referee blew his whistle certainly was not, with a string of odd decisions baffling home and away supporters alike in a game partially ruined by his inconsistency.
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