Some of the best clubs outside of English football’s ‘big six’ are the ones without huge financial power.
Forced to think outside the box, these clubs have to navigate a multi-billion-pound industry by adopting unorthodox methods and strategies.
Brentford and Bournemouth are clear products of this – ‘overachievers’, who run less reliant on commercial revenue, but make smarter decisions through their ownership.
The Championship is about to be introduced to a club that runs in a similar way – Lincoln City.
Lincoln City confirmed their promotion back to the second tier for the first time since 1961 with a last-gasp win against Reading at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
The Imps’ story isn’t one of a meteoric rise like Wrexham, where tens of millions of pounds have been invested to ensure quick success; Lincoln have spent seven successive seasons in the third tier of English football, gearing up for this moment.
The club has been extremely well-run. Because they’re not a huge financial power, the board at Lincoln has implemented a strict wage cap, with their highest-paid squad member on just £3,500 a week, in a division where players from other clubs earn over £10,000.
The aim for Lincoln is to recruit ambitious professionals who are enticed by the project rather than financial incentives. In fact, Lincoln’s budget of around £5m is in the lower third of League One clubs.
The use of the data analysis company Impect has only helped find bargain buys, and the club has been able to pick out players that they perhaps wouldn’t otherwise, by using numbers and metrics.
Under manager Michael Skubala, Lincoln are bottom in League One for average possession (42.0%), but have scored the most goals and conceded the fewest. This direct, counter-attacking style of play has helped them punch above their weight.
Twenty-six of Lincoln’s 77 goals so far this season have come from set pieces, leading them to be handed the label of the ‘Arsenal of League One’ by some viewers from afar. While the side sets great store on dead-ball situations, Lincoln are by no means like the club that sits top of the Premier League.
A seismic factor in their promotion is a clever, future-proof approach, and another massive piece to the puzzle is their manager, Skubala, who has likened the club’s strategy to Brentford’s model – not Arsenal.
Michael Skubala is not a case of a manager being the be-all and end-all to a club’s success.
The 43-year-old head coach self-admits that the club is punching above its weight. Just ten years ago, it was floating about in non-league.
“This is a very well-run club. It knows what it is, it’s always trying to find ways to punch above its weight and it’s going to have to do that next season,” Skubala told BBC Sport.
“But look at other clubs like Brentford and what they’ve done, and you look at them as aspirations.
“We always talk about those type of clubs, that’s probably more aligned to us than a Man United or one of the bigger clubs, so we have to look at those clubs as how we want to be.
“I’m sure there are ways and evidence in there that we can learn from. But I always believe when you have good people with a good plan that are hard-working, you can be successful.
“And that’s what it is at Lincoln, and we’re going to make sure we keep that, and keep driving that forward, and let’s see what can happen.”
Skubala has made his Lincoln side tough to penetrate, then demands his players take a direct approach on the counter-attack. It has served them excellently and turned a well-drilled side into promotion winners.
As expected with such an impressive season, Skubala has faced speculation around his future. He was one of the favourites to succeed Marti Cifuentes as Leicester manager in January, and will undoubtedly have more noise surrounding his name after guiding Lincoln back to the second tier.
After the club’s promotion, it’s unlikely Skubala departs this summer. But if he does leave, Lincoln will be preparing for the next hire. In fact, they may have already sounded out potential replacements.
Lincoln City investor and former USMNT soccer player Landon Donovan told The Athletic: “We are really clear that the structure of the club beats every individual. That’s what good clubs do.
“Brentford — it does not matter who leaves; they still succeed. (Manchester) United is still struggling from Fergie (Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013) because he was everything to that club.
“Clubs are realising we need to have all the proper systems and infrastructure, so if a player leaves or a coach leaves, we can continue being successful.”
Skubala has done a fantastic job, but Lincoln will be prepared to continue without him, if need be – and that’s the beauty of their forward-thinking ownership.
This summer will be a huge test for Lincoln City’s recruitment department.
Skubala’s style of play has got them to the Championship, but he must be supported with quality that will make the chances pay. Despite their lack of possession, Lincoln are in the top three League One sides for chance creation in 2025/26.
Lincoln City fan and Lower Tiers writer Rob Beezley feels confident in the club’s ability to kick on, “I am still amazed (with the promotion), and my head is still in the clouds. It is absolutely crazy.
The core of players we have should be kept and added to with a few astute signings to give us the best chance of staying up. I’m confident we can stay up, but I will just enjoy the ride, and whatever happens, I will enjoy it.”
Lincoln have all the tools at their disposal to stay up, despite not having the financial might of some clubs.
Possession-wise, they are used to spending large periods without the ball. The Imps won’t experience much change in their time without the ball next season, unlike clubs that dominate the division below and then struggle to adapt when going up.
While they won’t be able to replicate their near-perfect League One season in the Championship, against sides much better at breaking down stubborn defences and being able to defend the transition, Lincoln will be used to the state of play.
There will be a jump in quality, but a number of astute signings could keep their momentum going into next season and make them a comfortable Championship side. A group of players all on similar wages, with no real ‘star players’ who are relied upon, it’s a collective that can only improve.
A decade ago, Lincoln City were a mid-table National League side. Now, they’re set to face off against some of the best teams that the EFL has to offer, and will look to better them in their own way.
They are evidence that money isn’t a football club’s only ticket to success.
