It has not been a bad start to the 2026/27 Championship campaign for Lincoln City and joint head coaches Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw, with the Imps sitting quite comfortably in 12th place in the table at this still very early stage of the new campaign.
Eight games into the domestic league season, as we very quickly head towards the month of October, we have picked up 11 points following three wins and two draws – although a defeat in the last encounter against Swansea City at Sincil Bank has brought to an end to our five-game unbeaten run. We have a decent spell to rest, recuperate and put the yards in on the training pitch given we do not face Sheffield United in our trip to Bramall Lane until October 10, but the aim will be to get back to winning ways at the first time of asking if we can against the 18th placed side.
With the international break in full flow right now, as fans will know, midfielder Ivan Varfolomeev was rewarded with his first senior country call-up for Ukraine for their Nations League clashes this window, following his impressive curve with us. The 22-year-old was a key player for us during the promotion-winning run, and already has five Championship starts to his name this year, with joint head coach Cohen already having heaped praise on him and stating that he ‘epitomises’ the club. For those fans who use Swiss betting sites for their predictions, and any match day flutters they care to make, it is probably a safe bet to think he will remain a regular for the rest of this season and continue to impress.
It had also been previously confirmed that the former Slovan Liberec defensive midfielder had now agreed a new one-year contract extension, keeping him with us until the summer of 2030. In many ways it was not a great surprise given his performance levels, as we are simply protecting the asset he has become, and may become in the near future. Having joined in the summer of 2025 for a reported club record fee of around the £350,000 mark, he had already penned a lengthy four-year deal, but obviously the international call-up added to the buzz that has been building around him in recent times.
As sporting director Jez George explained, the new deal for one of our ‘outstanding young players’ is proof the club are ‘continuing to build for the future’ and it also sets a good example for others that significant development will be rewarded with improved terms. With him potentially in line to debut in their games against Hungary (home and away double header), Georgia and Northern Ireland, not unexpected that he is yet to feature.
There is a bizarre automatic suspension that appears to have ruled him out of the opening game with Hungary, but he was not named in the squad for the Georgia clash either. It seems that their manager is sensibly letting him adjust the camp and training first, before being thrown in.
Lincoln fans will be hoping that he gets at least 30 minutes across the next two as it would massively boost his confidence further, and the experience alone should ultimately end up paying dividends for us.
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