Opposition Lowdown: Lincoln City Hoping To Build On Top-Half Finishes
A new era at Reading FC officially begins this weekend, when the Royals travel to Lincolnshire for their first game of the 2025/26 season, taking on Lincoln City. Join us as we take a look at the opposition.
Form
Lincoln City finished 11th in League One last season, four places behind Reading, after picking up 61 points over the campaign. Their home form was key, with the Imps picking up 10 of their 16 wins at the LNER Stadium. This season marks their seventh straight campaign in the third tier, having secured promotion back to League One in 2019, finishing as League Two champions.
They have had a mixed preseason, winning three out of six of their fixtures, and come into this weekend’s game off the back of a 4-2 win against Championship West Bromwich Albion, with youngster Jovon Makama scoring two of their goals.
Lincoln claimed the double over Reading last season, picking up a 2-0 home win in December, followed by a 0-1 away win at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Good Friday back in April.
The boss
Michael Skubala: Skubala took over as head coach of Lincoln in November 2023, replacing Mark Kennedy, who left the club after a poor run of form of only one win in six league games.
The 42-year-old has no playing background, but had a 20-year career as a coach prior to his first full-time managerial role. He did spend time coaching the England under-18s and the English Futsal team, before joining Leeds United as the head coach of their under-21s in 2022.
While at Leeds, Skubala had a three-game spell as interim coach after the sacking of American Jesse Marsch. He joined Javi Gracia’s coaching staff when he took over as Leeds manager.
Since starting his managerial career, Skubala has guided Lincoln to two top-half finishes in League One: seventh in 2023/24 and 11th in 2024/25. He has won 35 of his 86 games in charge of the Imps, giving him a win percentage of 41%.
Skubala is known for his strong focus on player development. He wants his side to play an exciting style of football.
Squad
A number of key players have left Lincoln this summer, including Reading’s first signing of the summer: defender Paudie O’Connor. Lincoln have also seen two others join rival third-tier clubs, with defender Sean Roughan signing for Huddersfield Town on a free transfer and midfielder Ethan Erhahon moving to Bolton Wanderers for an undisclosed fee.
Only two players have come in through the door of the LNER Stadium so far this summer. Defender Sonny Bradley joined on a free after his release from Derby County, while fellow defender Ryley Towler arrived from Championship Portsmouth for an undisclosed fee.
Lincoln are expected to have a full-strength squad available to them for the season opener.
Predicted lineup
Wickens, Darikwa, Bradley, Towler, Hamer, Hamilton, McGrandles, Hackett, House, Makama, Collins
Key player
9. James Collins: Striker Collins (pictured up top) joined Lincoln in January this year, signing from Derby County on a free transfer.
He started his career in the youth setup at Aston Villa but never made a first-team appearance for the Villans. The Irishman has been a nomadic forward throughout his career, representing no fewer than 11 different clubs and racking up almost 500 career appearances.
Collins has made the most appearances for Luton Town, playing a part in 183 games between 2017 and 2021, scoring 72 goals. Collins went on to join Cardiff City from Luton before moving to Derby in 2022, where he stayed for two and a half years, notching another century of appearances. He also has 14 caps for the Republic of Ireland.
Since joining Lincoln in January, the 34-year-old has added another 10 goals to his record, putting his current career tally at 173 goals. Collins is a physical striker who is a strong finisher and will be Lincoln’s main attacking threat this weekend.
One to watch
27. Jovon Makama: Forward Makama joined Lincoln in 2020, having spent time in the youth setup at Derby County.
He signed his first pro deal at Lincoln in 2021 and went on to spend loan spells at Gainsborough Trinity and Brackley Town. Makama made his Imps debut in August 2022 in an EFL Cup tie against Doncaster Rovers. He has since gone on to make 97 appearances, scoring 15 goals, with 11 of those coming last season.
Makama is highly rated by Lincoln and picked up the Imps’ young player of the season award last season. The 21-year-old has had an impressive preseason, scoring three goals, including two against Championship West Brom last weekend.
Makama is a forward who can also play out wide and is a strong dribbler, while also being effective in the air.