Ex-Leeds United caretaker on stunning 19-game play-off run as unique champions chance presents itself

Lincoln currently occupy the final play-off spot in League One and will guarantee their place on the final day of the season should they equal or better Oxford United and Blackpool’s results.

Skubala’s young side sit on 74 points, joint with Oxford, one ahead of Blackpool and one behind newly-managerless Barnsley in fifth, who parted company with Neill Collins earlier this week after four defeats in their last five.

Lincoln take on already-crowned League One champions Portsmouth this weekend, who have made no secret their delight at ending their decade-long exodus from the second tier with the squad’s celebrations going viral on social media.

After clinching the title, Portsmouth subsequently lost to mid-table Wigan Athletic and finish the season away at the LNER Stadium against Skubala’s side, who will be keen to go out on a high by finishing in the play-offs.

Skubala took over last November and has guided Lincoln to 14 league wins, losing just once since New Year’s Day. The Imps’ climb up the table has been predicated on a solid defensive structure with the team boasting League One’s second-best defensive record - only Derby County, currently in second, have conceded fewer goals in the division.

Oxford and Blackpool face Exeter City and Reading, respectively, on the final day with neither opponent in with a chance of the play-offs or threatened by relegation. The Seasiders have won four on the spin, while Oxford are winless in their last two. Lincoln, meanwhile, have taken maximum points from 12 of their 16 league matches since the beginning of February.

If Skubala’s side can take advantage of a jubilant Pompey outfit whose season is materially done and dusted, they will compete in the end-of-season play-offs, which would represent a major achievement for the 41-year-old just five months into his first full-time senior coaching role in the English Football League system.