The former Leeds United interim boss has ended a 65-year wait for Championship football.
Former Leeds United interim boss Michael Skubala has guided Lincoln City to a historic League One promotion following Tuesday’s 2-1 win at Reading.
Skubala has been in charge at Lincoln since November 2023, taking his first permanent job in management with the League One side following a brief stint as interim Leeds head coach. The former Under-21s boss stepped in following Jesse Marsch’s exit, overseeing a 2-2 draw at Manchester United before losing the reverse fixture and suffering defeat at Everton.
Lincoln beat Reading on Easter Monday despite conceding a 92nd-minute equaliser at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, with substitute Jack Moylan winning it four minutes later. Skubala’s side are now 19 points clear of third-place Bradford City with five games left, becoming the first EFL club to achieve promotion this season.
The Imps have not been in the Championship since 1961 and have spent the last seven years in League One. Ex-Leeds interim boss Skubala has overseen an incredible 24-game unbeaten run and they are clear favourites for the third-tier title, with 12 points separating them from second-place Cardiff City.
"We want to win the title, the lads have said that they definitely want to win it,” Skubala told Sky Sports. “It's going to be tough, but let's go and get that done as well. Every game is tough, but if we can go and put in some more good performances, we can do it.
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"We'll enjoy tonight, we'll go out and have a beer. But we'll be back in on Wednesday, after a day off tomorrow, and then we'll be ready for a big game at home [Leyton Orient on Saturday]. It's an unbelievable feeling now. The lads have been excellent all season and to get the job done today, to get promoted on Easter Monday, just epitomises our season.
"Every game is tough at this level. You have to be ready, you have to be on it, and Reading are a good team and it was an excellent goal from Lewis Wing that brought them back into it. We kept believing that we could catch them on the counter, and that's what happened. I'm not really thinking about next season yet. I'm not thinking about anything else today, I'm just enjoying this."
Lincoln's long-awaited return to the Championship will see Skubala go up against some top-level EFL bosses while they will also travel to three teams who have spent this season in the Premier League. Leeds will obviously hope to not be welcoming back their former coach.
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