Lincoln City head coach Michael Skubala says he is “really pleased” with his team’s current form, as he prepares for the visit of Stevenage.
He said: “I’m really pleased with what they’ve done, but it’s the next game now. What I always do is try and make sure we bookend every game and just go onto the next game. We just take every game as it comes.”
“It’s really pleasing, and it just shows you the mentality that the group has got. I think what’s really impressed me is how hard we have been to score against. If you’ve got those clean sheets and you’re hard to beat, then I think we’ve got the quality to go and score goals,” the Imps gaffer added.
Skubala described the dominant 3-0 win over Shrewsbury as the “best performance” he has seen this season from his side.
He elaborated on why: “The stuff that we do every day on the training pitch coming out: our pressing, our counter-pressing. The stuff that we do on the training pitch is really aggressive and front-footed football, and I think you saw that in abundance.”
“Especially first 20 minutes, we were electric in that it makes it really hard for opposition to play,” he added.
In-form Reeco Hackett:
Reeco Hackett got his name on the scoresheet during the win over Salop. It was the St. Lucian international’s fourth goal in his previous five games.
Skubala said: “He’s been fantastic since he come back from injury. For me he’s nearly unstoppable out there. When he gets going, his quality, his speed, he is attacking like he’s a free winger and he can do what he wants. And, he’s defending brilliantly as well. He’s a real asset to get back in the team.”
Hackett has taken up the role of wing-back over recent weeks, but has excelled in attacking quarters too. The only game he didn’t score in across his last five starts was at home to Fleetwood Town, where he provided an assist.
Latest on the Imps injuries:
The City boss provided an update on midfielder Ethan Hamilton, after he went for a scan yesterday.
“It’s not good news. We know Ethan is going to be out for the season, so it’s pretty disappointing. I feel for him because he’s been brilliant for us this year. It’s not great, he’s done some menisci damage. So, at best we’ll see him in pre-season,” he said.
Hamilton has been an ever-present for Lincoln this season, but has been sidelined since February 17. The full extend of his injury is now clear.
Skubala added: “The reason we brought Conor [McGrandles] in was to try and bolster that area, so to loose Ethan quite early is not great. I feel for him because he’s been doing so well for the team and words hard for the team. He’s a great trainer and a great lad, but he’s going to be out for quite some time.”
“The scan didn’t go great and what they found wasn’t great, so we’re not going to see him for the rest of the season,” he noted.
Elsewhere, Adam Jackson and Jack Burroughs have both taken a step closer to a return.
“Adam Jackson is still training in a mask. We still waiting for his nose to recover. Hopefully that isn’t too long, maybe another week, maybe another two weeks,” the Imps head coach said.
He added: “Jack Burroughs is back on the grass with the medical team, so still a couple of weeks off. But, they are definitely making progress, just maybe not as quickly as we’d like from a head coach’s point of view.”
Also, Conor McGrandles may miss Saturday’s game with a “slight niggle” that the Charlton Athletic loanee picked up in Tuesday’s win over Shrewsbury.
Lincoln City host Stevenage on Saturday in a game that could have big implications in the race for the playoffs. Follow LincSport on Twitter/X for coverage of the fixture.