Lincoln City head coach Michael Skubala says the key to his side’s current goalscoring success is “ruthlessness”.
Speaking to LincSport, he said: “[The key is] our ruthlessness, I think. I keep saying to them, be consistent, be ruthless. Don’t take your foot off the gas, because you never know and I think we’ve got a good mentality in the group at the moment in how ruthless we can be with and without the ball.”
“I think that’s caught teams by surprise a little bit, and that’s been really pleasing for me,” he added.
Lincoln welcome Bristol Rovers after a remarkable win over Garry Monk’s Cambridge United, the first time that the Imps had won a game 6-0 since a 1977 FA Cup tie against Nuneaton Town.
“The game’s done, we won it, thanks. Next chapter, let’s think about Bristol. I think that’s part of being consistent in football, there’s another game, there’s another chance to get three points,” Skubala said.
The former Leeds United under-21s boss stressed the importance of winning games rather than focusing on the scoreline.
He said: “I keep saying, three points on Tuesday is worth the same as Saturday, is worth the same as this Saturday coming. You can win the game 6-0, but win 1-0 on Saturday and it’s another three points. So, it’s really important that we go again.”
Bristol Rovers test:
Mid-table Bristol Rovers have won, lost and drawn in equal measure over their last three games, but still pack a potential punch.
Skubala said: “If we’re not on it and we don’t perform, we’ll get hurt. We have to be ready for everything they’re going to throw at us.”
“We are not sure tactically, because they’re adaptable. It’s hard to get a plan for, they can go back three, back five or back four and have done all season. It’s one of those situations where we have to be really focused on ourselves, and if we’re not on it then they will score goals,” he added.
Substitute Stars:
Dylan Duffy and TJ Eyoma both came off the bench to score against Cambridge in midweek, while Jovon Makama and Jack Moylan notched their first SkyBet League One goals at Barnsley the Saturday before.
Skubala praised the impact of his substitutes, saying: “That’s what the benefit to have more bodies back from injury whenever we can, and keeping them patched up whenever we can as well.”
“We know that not only do they score goals, but they keep the level of intensity in the game. What I was really pleased with the subs coming on was they kept the level and the intensity of the game, so we could keep going for the full 97 minutes or whatever it was,” he added.
Injury Updates – “Touch and go”:
Ben House and Alex Mitchell both went off with suspected knocks during the impressive 6-0 win over the U’s.
Speaking to BBC Radio Lincolnshire, Skubala said: “Ben [House] is struggling a little bit, he’s not been on the grass today. We’ll see if we can get him on the grass tomorrow. If not, he’s touch and go for Saturday.”
Freddie Draper is also touch and go for the weekend, with his injury.
Mitchell is “similar” to House, as he will be assessed ahead of Saturday. Though, Skubala added that he was more likely to feature than the striker.
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