Where Lincoln City’s wage bill ranks in EFL League One - Cardiff City, Bolton Wanderers won’t believe it | OneFootball

Football League World takes a look at how Lincoln City's wage bill compares to their League One rivals including Cardiff City and Bolton Wanderers

Lincoln City are set to clinch promotion to the Championship, and are in the driving seat to beat Cardiff City to the League One title.

The Imps strengthened their grip at the top of the third tier table with a 3-0 victory over Rotherham United on 21 March.

Michael Skubala's men could seal their promotion to the Championship on Easter weekend, and host Wimbledon on Good Friday before travelling to Reading on Easter Monday.

At the beginning of the season, even the most optimistic Lincoln supporters would not have envisaged the prospect of their side winning promotion to the second tier with games to spare.

Lincoln City have one of the lowest League One budgets despite closing in on Championship promotion

The Imps proved that they thoroughly deserve to be at the top of the League One table when they defeated Cardiff City 2-0 in the Welsh capital on 7 March.

Skubala's men have done the double over the Bluebirds this term, even though many third-tier observers previously believed Brian Barry-Murphy's side would win the title.

Lincoln have not even finished in the League One play-offs since 2021, so this season's rise to the top of the table has been one of the biggest surprises in the EFL.

Remarkably, heading into Easter weekend, the Imps have enjoyed a 22-game unbeaten run in the league, which has included 17 victories.

Alongside their aforementioned wins over Cardiff, Skubala's side have also triumphed over the likes of play-off hopefuls Bradford City and Stockport County within their current unbeaten streak.

Meanwhile, speaking to the Daily Mail, Lincoln chief executive, Liam Scully, said: "When I arrived nine years ago, we had modelling that told us, on a wage budget of 10th-12th place in League One or League Two, we would keep losses to around £1million-£1.5m before player trading and cup runs.

"Now, with a 17th-18th placed wage budget in League One, we’ll lose around £3m. That’s how much it has changed in less than a decade, even after we have grown revenue by over 250 per cent in that period. The whole water line has risen."

Cardiff and Bolton Wanderers, who are both set to be beaten to the third-tier title by the Imps, will be envious of what Skubala's men have achieved on such a low budget.

Wanderers could be left particularly jealous of Lincoln's exploits if they end up in the play-offs and ultimately fail to clinch promotion to the Championship.

Lincoln City could struggle to retain Michael Skubala in the long term

Skubala is under contract with Lincoln until the summer of 2028, and his performances with the LNER Stadium club have proven him as one of the best managers in the EFL.

The 43-year-old will likely want to see what he can achieve with the Imps in the Championship next term, having guided them to a remarkable League One campaign.

However, more established second-tier clubs, with loftier ambitions than Lincoln, will have noticed Skubala's exploits in the third tier, and could want him as their future manager.

Given the fact that his current side have a small budget, Skubala appears somewhat likely to leave the LNER Stadium before his contract expires.