Yesterday was another big win for the Imps, four goals away from home at Home Park.
It meant we cemented our place as the third-leading scorers in the division, one of only three sides with 50 or more goals. Remarkably, we do not have a single player on double figures, and only have two (Draper and Hackett) in the top 30 scorers.
That’s a strength. We share goals across a significant number of players, with 10 players on three or more. Ryan Oné became the latest player to notch with his late strike, and Michael Skubala pointed to that as something he liked heading into the final 16 matches of the season.
“I really like the fact that all of our top line are chipping in,” he said after the Plymouth win. “You only have to look at Ryan Oné today. He took that goal and that’s not easy.
“Running from your halfway line with all that time is not an easy finish. People think that’s easy because he’s in with the keeper, but I think he’s a sensational talent. When he came in, he worked hard.”
The Sheffield United striker was making his debut, but his goal was laid on by another substitute, and another player chomping at the bit to get minutes, Alfie Lloyd.
“Alfie Lloyd made the pass for him, so you’ve got two of our newer boys who are starting to work their way into the team. It’s great to see the bench helping out the team as well.”
City had to fight back from losing an early goal, Bim Pepple beating George Wickens from range. The game could easily have run away from City, but instead we had to fight back, which showed our head coach something different to recent matches.
“It’s probably the first time we got a punch on the nose,” he said. “We haven’t had that for a while, so how we respond to those punches and going one-nil down is really important. I think you saw a great character and mentality from the lads again.”
That mentality will be tested next week against Bolton Wanderers, a second against third clash which will go some way to swinging the promotion pendulum one way or another. With goals across the team and character being shown under pressure, Michael will surely be relishing the game, especially after a week on the training ground.