Lincoln City begin their 2025/26 Sky Bet League One Campaign this Saturday as they welcome Reading FC and former Captain Paudie O’Connor to the LNER Stadium.
The Imps will be hoping that they can improve on their 11th placed finish from last term and return to the play-off fight after they narrowly missed out in the 2023/24 season.
However, to do that, Michael Skubala’s side will need to find more consistency going into the new campaign to keep the pressure on the sides around them.
After losing just two of their first ten last term the side looked to be in the hunt for the play-offs once again, although a run of just one win in seven through the tail end of a winter period full of injuries saw hopes of a top six finish fade away.
Just the one loss in April showed once again what the side was capable of but two losses to end the season saw the Imps finish 17 points outside of the play-offs.
When speaking to LincSport Co-Editor Declan Dempsey, newly assigned Lincoln City captain Tendayi Darikwa said: “Hopefully we can kick on next year.
“Ultimately after 46 games you finish where you deserve, we need to realise where we went wrong and work hard through pre-season.”
Two months later and many Imps fans are questioning whether the side will not only make the play-offs but if they can even finish in the top half.
Although when you look into it, are things really that bad or is it just the pre-season pessimism?
City have lost key players Paudie O’Connor, Ethan Erhahon and Sean Roughan to play-off challengers Reading, Bolton Wanderers and Huddersfield Town respectively.
Despite replacing the former captain with experienced head Sonny Bradley and bolstering the backline with Portsmouth defender Ryley Towler most believe the squad appears weaker than last term.
Despite that, the Imps have had a strong pre-season as they beat both Hull City and Leicester City under 21’s in behind closed doors friendlies.
They were then beaten 5-3 by Huddersfield Town in the final game without spectators, before they travelled to Portugal and were beaten by League Two side Bromley.
Finally, they returned to Lincolnshire and travelled to local rivals Grimsby Town where they were beaten 2-1 and then ended pre-season with a 4-2 victory at home to Ryan Mason’s West Bromwich Albion.
Throughout those games, set pieces certainly looked to be something that the Imps would be making use of as Jovon Makama scored early from a corner against West Brom.
That could be an asset likely to keep Skubala’s side in games throughout next season, particularly against those sides pushing for the play-offs.
Combine those with the goals of James Collins and Jovon Makama who both ended last season strongly, the Imps just need to ensure they maintain their strong defensive record.
They have shown on many occasions that the side undoubtedly have the quality to compete with the top six in the league under Skubala despite the shoe-string budget.
Despite key losses and other sides in the league having seemingly strengthened the Imps still hold that same quality and killer instinct we saw against the likes of Peterborough United last term.
Additions are clearly still needed at Sincil Bank with a left-back being a position that the side are still looking for as they enter their seventh season of League One football.
But with 10 months to go until the end of the season is a play-off push being written off too early for the Lincolnshire side or is it too little too late?