Throughout his two-and-a-half year stay with Lincoln City Michael Skubala took the club from a mediocre mid-table SkyBet League One side to title winners.
To do that, he made simple but effective changes that simply just seemed to strip football back to its basics.
It then ended with a memorable season for the City fans as they went on a record-breaking 29-game unbeaten run and lifted the title.
However, now as Skubala departs the side for EFL Championship rivals Bristol City we decided to look into just what he did alongside now joint head coaches, Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw.
The message from the board has been that the club should be successful while being sustainable and that was clear and consistent for Skubala to manage expertly.
He did that on his own, on a shoestring budget while managing to maximise potential with a sensible, low-risk recruitment strategy.
However, when the Imps saw just two wins from their opening 13 games under the now Bristol City manager, something clearly had to change.
During those first 13 games the Imps averaged 42 per cent possession and while that stayed perfectly consistent through the remaining 17 games of the season.
Their number of Shots on Target had increased per game from 2.9 up to 4.6 in a run of games that saw them climb up to seventh in the SkyBet League One table and only miss out on the play-offs on the last day.
However, while the 3-5-2 formation clearly suited the squad at the time, as they went on a run of scoring 16 goals in three games.
There was a sense that Skubala’s long-term vision of a high-tempo pressing team was only being seen in flashes but never enough in a squad that wasn’t capable.
Nonetheless, the Imps stuck with it throughout the 2024-25 season as tempo increased and the backline stepped up.
But ultimately it proved that the squad weren’t up to the task as despite a promising start they eventually slumped into 11th place.
Then came the historic 2025/26 season where recruitment changed to a more physical side and a back four more suited to a high-line; a midfield that could play with energy and a forward line with enough depth to maintain a high-press for a full season.
Alongside that, the all-important, more consistent change to Skubala’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation that was heavily seen in his time at Leeds United.
And it thrived with attacking full-backs Adam Reach and Tendayi Darikwa, recording 17 goal involvements between them, with the latter finding his way into the League One team of the season.
Sonny Bradley also added his name into the team of the season, alongside Jack Moylan who benefitted from a move from the left into the new number ten position.
While a more energetic midfield allowed Conor McGrandles to swoop up City’s player of the season award.
Skubala managed all that while City’s average possession remained rooted to the bottom of the league, on, you guessed it. 42 per cent.
While the 5-3-2 formation remained for certain games of the season the key to Lincoln City’s success under the Englishman was founded in the art of pragmatic football.
He found the key to pressing in the right areas, keeping the ball as far away from their goal as possible and making sure to keep possession with a purpose.
Ultimately Skubala made a record-breaking team by stripping football back to the basics, score more goals than the other team.