How Michael Skubala really feels about leaving Lincoln City as Bristol City lurk | OneFootball

Michael Skubala looks set to stay at Lincoln City amid rumoured interest from Bristol City

Michael Skubala has defied odds at Lincoln City to guide the Imps to the Championship, which will be their first season back in the second tier in 65 years, as supporters are the club looks set to receive a huge boost with their head coach amid Bristol City interest.

Few clubs, not just across England, but around the world, have had a more enjoyable season than Lincoln City.

A 24-game unbeaten run between the beginning of December and the end of the campaign has seen Skubala's side romp to the League One title with 103 points, finishing 12 points above closest rivals Cardiff City in 2nd and a mighty 26 points above 3rd place Stockport County.

To say they deserve their promotion would be an understatement, and with one of the smallest budgets in the division, their overachievement has been truly sensational.

A huge portion of the credit ought to be, and has been directed towards head coach Skubala, as Lincoln supporters look set to receive good news regarding his future at the club.

Michael Skubala looks set to reject Bristol City's interest and remain with Lincoln City

Skubala's excellent performance for Lincoln, whilst it has almost all been positive for those at the LNER Stadium, has not come without its drawbacks, as the 43-year-old has naturally begun to attract interest from elsewhere.

The former England national futsal team head coach had been drawn up on a shortlist by soon-to-be Championship rivals Bristol City, with the Robins looking to appoint a new permanent boss following the departure of Roy Hodgson.

Hodgson agreed to take charge of the final stretch of games at Ashton Gate following the dismissal of Gerhard Struber, and made clear his intentions of not taking the job into next campaign.

Portsmouth's John Mousinho has also been touted, as has former Rangers and Al-Ettifaq boss Steven Gerrard, with Skubala emerging as an option alongside the pair.

However, now Football Insider is reporting that Skubala is set to reject any approach made by Bristol City in favour of staying with Lincoln, which will be music to Imps supporters' ears.

The Englishman has masterminded Lincoln's rise to this point, and losing him, especially to a division rival, would have been catastrophic. But now, fortunately for Lincoln, they look set to retain the services of Skubala for at least another year.

The Imps will be huge underdogs heading into next campaign, especially in terms of the financial disparity between themselves and other clubs across the division, but with Skubala at the helm, there is no reason to believe they can't compete with a huge portion of the rest of the league.

Retaining Michael Skubala is a seismic boost for Lincoln City

It cannot be understated just how important keeping Skubala around is for Lincoln.

The 43-year-old's journey to this stage is just about as remarkable as the Imps', having previously worked as a PE teacher, to working in various non-league and academy systems, to becoming director of football at Loughborough University, and then the England national futsal team, where he helped to develop West Ham United's Max Kilman.

He'd then take charge of Leeds United's Under-21's, and was then appointed as a first-team coach, before taking the top job at Lincoln in November 2023, where the rest is history.

Lincoln fans likely can't imagine anyone else taking them into the Championship, and his decision to stay put will just about be the best piece of news they could have possibly asked for at this stage.