Opposition Lowdown: Michael Skubala’s Midtable Lincoln City
With four games left this season, Reading’s playoff destiny lays in their own hands, starting with a Good Friday game at home to Lincoln City. Join us as we take a look at the opposition.
Form
Lincoln finished seventh in League One last season after 20 wins, 14 draws and 12 losses. They were only two points shy of Barnsley who took the final playoff spot. This is their sixth straight season in League One, having secured promotion to the third tier back in 2019, when they won the League Two title under Danny Cowley.
The Imps currently sit in 12th place in the league, almost the exact number of points away from the playoffs and the relegation zone. Their recent form has been mixed, having seen one win, one loss and three draws in their last five games.
They come into this game off the back of a 1-1 draw at home to Shrewsbury Town last weekend, having taken the lead in the fourth minute. The two sides faced each other back in December, with Lincoln claiming a 2-0 win at the LNER Stadium after goals from Bailey Cadamarteri and Reeco Hackett.
The boss
Michael Skubala: Skubala took over as head coach of Lincoln in November 2023, replacing Mark Kennedy, who left the club after a poor run of only one win in six league games.
The 42-year-old has no playing background, but had a 20-year career as a coach prior to his first full-time managerial role. He did spend time coaching the England under-18 side and the English Futsal team, before joining Leeds United as the head coach of their under-21 side in 2022.
While at Leeds, Skubala had a three-game spell as interim coach after the sacking of Jesse Marsch in February 2023. He joined Javi Gracia’s coaching staff when he took over as Leeds manager.
He has had a pretty decent start to his managerial career, guiding Lincoln to a seventh-placed finish in his first season and currently holds a 40% win percentage in his 82 games in charge.
Skubala is known for his strong focus on player development and wants his side to play an exciting style of football.
Squad
Lincoln signed three players in the winter transfer window, with two joining on permanent deals and one signing on loan.
Midfielder Sam Clucas and striker James Collins were the two to sign permanently, joining from Oldham Athletic and Derby County respectively. Forward Joe Gardner was their loan signing, joining from Premier League Nottingham Forest for the remainder of the season.
Midfielders Dom Jeffries and Jovon Makama have both been ruled out of action for the remainder of the season, while forward Bailey Cadamarteri is also expected to miss the rest of the season. Captain Paudie O’Connor should return to the starting lineup following the end of his three-match suspension.
Predicted lineup
Wickens, Darikwa, Monstma, O’Connor, Roughan, McGrandles, Bayliss, House, Hackett, Gardner, Collins
Key player
Paudie O’Connor: Defender O’Connor joined Lincoln in June 2022, signing on a free transfer from Bradford City following the end of his contract.
He started his career in his homeland of Ireland where he played youth football for Limerick, before making his professional debut for the club in 2015. O’Connor made 51 appearances for Limerick before going on to join Leeds United in 2017.
O’Connor made four appearances for Leeds while also having loan spells at Blackpool and Bradford, who he went on to join permanently in 2019. The 27-year-old spent three years with the Bantams, making 129 appearances and scoring eight goals, while also picking up two player of the year awards.
O’Connor signed for Lincoln in the summer of 2022 and was made club captain a year later. He has gone on to make 138 appearances for the Imps, scoring eight goals.
The Irishman is a centre-back who is strong in the air, while also being an effective interceptor with the ball on the ground. He is a no-nonsense defender who isn’t afraid to get stuck in, and has picked up 10 yellow cards and two red cards so far this season.
One to watch
Tom Bayliss: Midfielder Bayliss joined Lincoln last June, signing on a free transfer following his release from Shrewsbury Town.
He started his career in the youth setup at Coventry City and made his debut for the club in 2017, going on to make 73 appearances for the Sky Blues over the course of two seasons. A move to Preston North End followed in 2019, however Bayliss found first-team appearances hard to come by.
Bayliss went on to join Shrewsbury Town in 2022, where he spent two seasons, making 81 appearances and scoring 10 goals.
The 26-year-old has added another three goals to his career tally this season and also has four assists to his name. Bayliss is a centre midfielder with strong passing skills, who likes to shoot from distance.