Lincoln City head coach Michael Skubala looks ahead to his side’s tough trip to Barnsley, while battling a midfield dilemma.
The news that Charlton Athletic-loanee Conor McGrandles will miss the rest of the season through injury has added to the concerns raised by Ethan Hamilton’s recent injury.
The pair will play no further part in the 2023/24 campaign.
Midfield replacements:
Irishman Jack Moylan slotted into midfield, against Stevenage, for his first start in Lincoln City colours since arriving from Shelbourne at the beginning of January.
Skubala was asked by LincSport if Moylan will be the solution to the midfield injury problem.
He said: “I think we can put different players in there, depending on the game and the opposition. The tactics will dictate whether we go with Jack or whether we go with other players in there, so I don’t think it’s necessarily either/or, while looking at the opposition and where we think we can hurt them.”
“Whether we stick with the same shape, or change shape with the same personal, it’s a bit all-rounded,” he added.
“Defending well” the key:
Lincoln City’s unbeaten run stands at ten games after a goalless draw to Steve Evans’ resolute Stevenage. Skubala explained the key to extend that run in a tough game at Oakwell.
He said: “Defending well, we’ve been solid at that. We have to defend well and be really resilient, and then when we do have the moments with the ball, how we create chances and create balls in the box, and make teams defend when we get out moments. And we’ll have to take our moments at Barnsley, which will be key to the game.”
Injury Latest:
Skubala has been dealt another blow as loanee Conor McGrandles joins Ethan Hamilton on the list of Lincoln City midfielders who will miss the rest of the season.
Speaking to BBC Radio Lincolnshire, he said: “It’s not good news with Conor. He’s been to see a specialist last week and we’ve got that report. He’s got to go and have an operation. So, he’s finished for the end of the season as well… he’s got an operation tomorrow, we won’t see him for the rest of the season.”
“It’s a big blow, obviously Ethan [Hamilton] is a blow. The reason we brought Conor in was to cover midfield, so we’ve lost our cover as well,” he added.
He revealed that Jack Burroughs will be able to make a return on Saturday after his ankle issue, saying: “The good news is that Jack Burroughs is back. Jack comes back into the team, he’s trained the last week on the grass, so he’ll be back in contention.”
On Adam Jackson’s broken nose, he added: “Adam Jackson is back into full training and back into the squad, which is great. That’s good, positive news. He’s been training with a mask, but he took the mask off this week, so he will be back in the squad.”
The Imps boss said midfielder Ted Bishop has a “little bit of a niggle”, which will be assessed prior to the Barnsley game. The near 1,800 strong away backing will be hoping that the Englishman isn’t added to the list of Lincoln injury troubles.
Strong away support:
“I think the fans have been brilliant. I remember Burton, when he went down to ten men, I think that was fantastic. And to get, hopefully, nearer 2,000 to an away game just shows how supportive the fans are to the team,” Skubala said.
The Imps are taking a strong away backing to South Yorkshire, as City look to extend their unbeaten run to 11 games and upset a Barnsley side who are flying-high in League One.
The former Leeds United under-21s head coach added: “There’s no doubt at the minute that with a few injuries, we’re going to need everything we can to try and pick up some more points. So I think it’s brilliant the amount that are willing to travel and watch the team play, and hopefully we can put in a hardworking performance that they can be proud of.”
A win could help Lincoln close the gap to the play-offs, which currently stands at eight points.