‘I didn’t know about that until a couple of weeks ago,’ Michael Skubala tells Daily Mail Sport as he’s asked about the latest achievement in his burgeoning coaching career.
The accolade we are discussing is that Skubala, who is approaching two years as Lincoln City boss, is now the club’s most successful manager over the last quarter of a century when comparing league position versus playing budget.
‘I suppose historically that’s where I’ve been successful,’ Skubala adds. ‘I’ve always thought about how to maximise a group of young men to be the best they can be and that’s probably why I was brought to Lincoln. The statistic is great and a nice thing to talk about, but we’re not finished. We want to push more and be more successful but that doesn’t happen overnight.’
Skubala, one of the most highly rated managers in the EFL, is engaging company and someone with a fascinating background.
Having previously been a PE teacher, he worked in academy roles at various clubs before becoming director of football at Loughborough University where he taught Kieran McKenna. He then moved on to the England men’s futsal team and subsequently worked with England Under 18s.
The 42-year-old’s journey took him to Leeds as Under 21s coach – and three games as interim boss after Jesse Marsch’s sacking in February 2023 – before Lincoln appointed him that November.
Lincoln City boss Michael Skubala is one of the most highly rated managers in the EFL
Skubala’s side have started season well and are four points off the top of the League One table
The Imps came seventh in the 2023-24 campaign, missing out on the play-offs on the final day, and finished 11th last time out.
This season has started positively, with Lincoln four points off the top of the table after seven games. Skubala’s side have also reached the third round of the Carabao Cup where they will face Chelsea this month.
‘We had a good pre-season and we’ve had a solid start,’ says Skubala, whose side continue to impress despite having a budget dwarfed by many of their divisional rivals.
‘There’s been a few changes and we’ve got a newer group, but I’m really pleased. Our challenge is doing it for the course of the season.’
That is indeed the task for Skubala and Co, with Lincoln now in their seventh campaign in League One. They have reached the play-offs once, losing in the final to Blackpool four years ago, so how can they take that extra step and achieve the club’s ultimate ambition of reaching the Championship?
‘We’ve tried to do that with our recruitment,’ explains Skubala, who has 41 wins in 96 games in charge. ‘To try and add some quality and depth in specific areas where we feel like we come under pressure in the winter months.
‘Sometimes football tips your way and sometimes it doesn’t. We’re just trying to make sure we have those bits in place so it tips our way.’
That recruitment Skubala talks about has seen a mix of youth and experience arrive.
Skubala has a fascinating coaching background having worked in academies, at university, youth football and he also coached the England men’s futsal team (pictured above in 2019)
He is statistically Lincoln’s most successful manager over the last quarter of a century when comparing league position versus playing budget and he continues to overachieve in his role
Seasoned veterans Sonny Bradley and Adam Reach were among the signings as were younger talents like Ivan Varfolomeev, a Ukrainian midfielder who arrived for a club record fee from Czech side Slovan Liberec. The loan market was also utilised with Everton’s Francis Okoronkwo and Wolves’ Dexter Lembikisa two talents to join.
Those additions have added to a solid core, but developing young players has always been a key part of the fabric at Lincoln, with famous alumni to pass through the LNER Stadium including Brennan Johnson, Morgan Rogers and Harry Toffolo.
That development path was evident this summer when Ethan Erhannon and former academy star Jovon Makama were sold for club record fees to Bolton and Norwich City respectively.
‘As a coaching team and everybody else in the building, we’ve never thought any different,’ the 42-year-old says. ‘Developing players takes time and it’s one thing you don’t usually have in football for some reason.
‘My job is to try and nurture that talent and get it out for everybody to see. We’re probably seeing the years of hard work coming to fruition now.’
There are several other young and promising players in the squad, including academy product Freddie Draper, striker Rob Street and keeper George Wickens, yet they are complemented by experienced stars such as James Collins and captain Tendayi Darikwa.
‘The key is balance,’ Skubala says. ‘At Lincoln the club wants me and the coaching staff to develop players, and then we must sell them. We’ve done that well in this window and we want to replenish the next generation of that.
‘But at the same time it’s about getting the balance between that and the experience of League One and winning games.’
Lincoln have an impressive record of developing young talent, including Brennan Johnson and Morgan Rogers
Academy graduate Jovon Makama was sold to Norwich for a club record fee this summer
Their young talents are complemented by experienced stars such as striker James Collins, 34
Despite not having a notable playing background, Skubala, who helped Leeds draw 2-2 against Man United at Old Trafford during his short stint in charge, credits his experiences rubbing shoulders with high performing figures in other sports at Loughborough as key to his development.
His journey at Lincoln is particularly fascinating given the innovative way the Imps approach things.
Not only do they have a chief growth and innovation officer, but they have leant into AI to analyse set pieces and improve player performance,.
That focus on AI was hugely successful last season as Lincoln scored 30 goals from set pieces, the most in the EFL.
Skubala and his staff used the technology to record thousands of set pieces and they practice them three to four times a week, yet he credits his players for buying into the process.
Data and analytics are similarly a big part of things, while Skubala has two assistant managers, another move the club see as a way to add value and maximise the development of players.
Jason Futers, who holds the role of chief growth and innovation officer, tends to focus on ways Lincoln can gain an advantage off the pitch, but the whole process is aligned and enthuses Skubala.
‘Football can be very stuck in its ways of doing things,’ he says. ‘I get really excited when I think about the club being innovative in different areas, but how we translate that into improving performance is the key bit and we had success last year with set pieces.
The experienced Adam Reach, 32, joined the Imps on deadline day earlier this month
Skubala previously coached Leeds’ Under 21s and had a short stint as interim first team boss
‘Lincoln City are not as big as Birmingham, Huddersfield, or Bolton. We can’t compete on salaries and finances , but we can compete on different areas that others may not think will improve performance.’
It’s an exciting time to be around given the positive start to the campaign, and that good feeling will grow in the build up to their clash against Chelsea on September 23.
The last time the Imps had a major cup run came in 2016-17, when they were the first Non League club in more than a century to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Lincoln had experienced a difficult period prior to that, and the journey put them back on the national map, while the prize money earned helped to fund a new training ground that is described as Championship level.
‘It just shows what these competitions can add to a club of our size,’ Skubala says. ‘Chelsea is a great draw and everyone’s buzzing around the city.
‘We just want to give a good show of ourselves, the world champions are coming to town, and we’re really excited by that. We know how tough it’s going to be, but we want to win.’
The Chelsea clash comes amid reports of further investment in the club after chairman Clive Nates spoke about the need for it to fulfil Lincoln’s Championship aims.
And with such a promising manager at the helm, there is a strong belief that those goals can be achieved if the club remains focused on the long-term plan.
Lincoln have an exciting Carabao Cup tie against world champions Chelsea later this month
Skubala is confident in Lincoln’s ultimate ambition of reaching the Championship in the future
‘We’re all striving to do that (get to the Championship),’ Skubala concludes. ‘But we’re not going to take a left when we need to take a right because left looks like it’s a shortcut. That’s the beauty of the club.
‘Everyone agrees it’s going to be hard but the more we can keep growing in the right direction and the more we can become more competitive in everything it becomes more achievable.
‘We want to get in the play-offs and get promoted, but so does everybody else in the league.
‘But if it doesn’t happen this season I believe it will happen in the next few seasons. As long as we keep on the trajectory we’re trying to build without getting caught up in turning left when the direction is right.’
