Leeds United will have an interested eye on Lincoln City right now: View | OneFootball

Lincoln City are flying in League One under Michael Skubala after appointing him as their head coach in November and convincing him to leave his role as Leeds United U-21 coach.

The 41-year-old has been a well-respected figure at Elland Road, having worked with the academy since his arrival a few years ago. He has also worked with the first-team as an assistant during his time under the likes of Jesse Marsch and Javi Gracia last season.

Not only that, Skubala stepped up as caretaker head coach between the sacking of Marsch and the appointment of Gracia last season, during what was a hectic period for the club, and he helped the team pick up a point at Old Trafford against bitter rivals Manchester United.

He managed the side for three games and that was his solitary point, with Leeds also losing to Everton and Manchester United in the other two games in temporary charge.

This season, he had been back with Leeds' development side, but his ability as a coach is well-known in the game and did not go unnoticed, as it has been claimed that several clubs in the Football League, including the Championship, had been monitoring Skubala, with Lincoln securing his services.

A number of players have made the step up into Leeds' first-team from Skubala's U-21 side, to varying degrees of success. The likes of Darko Gyabi, Mateo Joseph, Lewis Bate have been given some senior minutes but are still being predominantly utilised in the development squad. Archie Gray is perhaps the biggest success story, though, featuring regularly for the automatic promotion chasers despite being just 17 for most of the campaign.

Skubala's Lincoln City

In 23 games so far in all competitions, Skubala has won nine times, with a further eight draws, but that doesn't tell the full story of how things have turned around for the Imps lately.

They won just twice in his first 11 games in charge, including six defeats in that time, but have been in excellent form since mid-January. He was nominated for the February 2024 Manager of the Month after picking up 16 points from six unbeaten games.

March has continued in much the same fashion, with his young crop going from strength-to-strength. Recent results in their last nine league outings include: a 1-0 win against Burton Albion, a 2-1 victory over Fleetwood Town, before a 1-1 away to Charlton Athletic, but wins against Exeter City, Port Vale, and Shrewsbury Town then gave them a genuine chance of achieving a play-off place.

An impressive 0-0 draw to play-off hopefuls Stevenage came next, before Skubala's two biggest wins in charge in the last two fixtures. The most impressive of all came with a 5-1 victory against Barnsley at Oakwell over the weekend, before a 6-0 hammering of Garry Monk's Cambridge United in midweek.

It's seen them rapidly ascend the table and put them in strong contention for a top-six finish, as well as making them the form side in the third tier. Lincoln are 12 games unbeaten and hitting their stride at the perfect time for the last eight games of the season during the run-in.

Lincoln City's play-off hopes

Skubala has transformed the fortunes at Sincil Bank in a short space of time, and is reaping the rewards after some patience, having initially started slowly.

His fast-paced brand of football with young players is not all that surprising for Leeds fans who have cast an eye over the development teams in recent years. Skubala is evidently someone who works well with emerging talent, and Lincoln have seen the likes of Jack Moylan arrive in January and thrive under Skubala.

The 22-year-old is one of a number of examples who have developed under Skubala's coaching methods, with the young Irish forward scoring four and assisting once in 10 games already for the League One outfit.

Not only have young players taken strides forward, but the Imps also boast the second-best defensive record in the division, second only behind league-leaders Portsmouth. Leeds fans and the hierarchy alike will undoubtedly be casting an eye over his and Lincoln's progress for the remainder of the season.