Lincoln City head coach Michael Skubala reviewed a third straight defeat, while providing an injury update on Ethan Erhahon and looking ahead to the January transfer window.
The Imps rounded-out 2023 with a 1-2 defeat at the LNER Stadium, as they ended December without a single victory, a run stretching for six games.
A disappointing night
TJ Eyoma’s second-half goal looked to spark a comeback, but the hosts were unable to find an equaliser as they were condemned to back-to-back home defeats for just the second time this season.
Speaking to LincSport’s Jamie Johnson, Skubala said: “It’s a really disappointing result. I thought we’d have enough to beat them, but that’s no disrespect to them, they’re a good team and they play some good football at times. I just thought we let them off the hook with a couple of goals that we could’ve stopped really.”
He added: “We still need to create more, and clearer chances and bigger chances. I think we created more tonight, we had more power on the front-line, we looked more threatening in-behind and we had the belief in the first 20 minutes. Then the goal sort of took the steam out of us really, so we had to re-group and go again, and we got back into the game, but we just need to create more at the minute.”
The comeback looked on when TJ Eyoma netted his second of the season in the 60th minute, but Paudie O’Connor’s red card stunted hopes of a positive result.
Skubala said: “I thought at 2-1 we were going to get something out of that game, and we were on the front foot and they were on the backfoot. It felt like we were in the ascendency, but I think the sending off probably changed it because ten men is always difficult.”
Red mist descends again:
The City captain’s second red card of the season was the Imps fourth overall, and second in a week. However, the Lincoln head coach disagreed with the referee’s decision.
Speaking to BBC Radio Lincolnshire, he said: “From what I’ve seen, and I’ve only seen a clip, he’s not got his elbow out. He’s gone to jump in the air and he’s been caught, but he’s got to use his hands to get up… for me it’s a yellow card, it’s not a red card.”
“In the end when you look at losing the game and losing Paudie it’s a difficult one to take,” he added.
Transfer update:
With the January transfer window approaching, the rumour mill has begun to swirl at the LNER Stadium.
The order of the day at Lincoln City seems to be an addition to the forward line, whether that be in the form of a Freddie Draper re-call or a new name.
Skubala said: “It’s clear to see we need some experience. We’ve got some players in the building who are injured and we need to get those back as quick as possible, we’ve got good players at this club, but we’re just a bit short on that frontline at the moment.”
Injury ups and downs:
Midfielder Ethan Erhahon was replaced in the second-half, after he received treatment before the break. Skubala shone some light on the situation: “He got a bad whack on his foot, what you saw in the first half. We tried to keep him out there, but he had to come off in the end because he couldn’t deal with what’s happened to his foot.”
“We need to access it tomorrow and see how bad it is and then go from there really.”
On a more positive note, the former Leeds United under-21s boss confirmed Reeco Hackett is closer to a return.
He said: “Reeco has started training with us, but he’s still a week away at least from trying to start getting minutes. But, he’s not going to be back fully for 90 minutes for quite a while, so we’re still a way off with him and obviously we’re quite a way off with Ben House as well.”
The Imps travel to Blackpool on New Year’s Day in search of a first win since November.