Lincoln City’s relentless push towards the Championship received an endorsement from an unlikely source on Tuesday night, with Exeter City manager Matt Taylor openly declaring the Imps look destined for promotion.
The Imps’ 1-0 victory at St James Park strengthened their grip on the League One title race, moving them to 77 points from 36 matches. That leaves Lincoln four clear of Cardiff City and a sizeable 13 ahead of Bolton Wanderers in third place, a gap that increasingly suggests the automatic promotion race is tilting heavily in their favour.
However, it was Taylor’s assessment after the game that captured the scale of Lincoln’s progress this season.
The Exeter boss, only recently back in charge for a second spell at the club, acknowledged the quality and experience within Michael Skubala’s side and predicted they will be playing in the second tier next season.
“They’re going to get promoted, they’re going to be a championship team, they’re going to be championship players, and we’ve got players out there who’ve come from a certain level.”
Coming from a manager watching his team battle against the League One leaders, it was a strikingly clear verdict on the direction Lincoln are heading.
Lincoln win again
The match itself provided further evidence of why that belief exists. Lincoln controlled much of the contest and created the better chances throughout the evening, even if the final scoreline remained tight.
The decisive moment arrived in the 32nd minute when Adam Reach delivered a free kick into the Exeter penalty area. Tom Hamer rose unmarked and powered a header beyond goalkeeper Joe Whitworth from around ten yards, securing what proved to be the winning goal.
Taylor felt the goal should not have stood, believing Hamer was offside, but even while questioning the decision, he admitted the difference between the sides came down to quality in key moments.
“You saw the difference of the two teams despite it being offside, their goal came from a set-piece moment, and I think you can say they’ve got a bigger profile of player and better delivery.”
That “profile” is something Taylor repeatedly referenced when describing Lincoln’s squad, highlighting the strength, experience and physicality of players such as Sonny Bradley, Tendayi Darikwa and Conor McGrandles.
He described the visitors as a hardened group built to win games in difficult circumstances.
“They’re a team of men. They’re a team of men and body-hardened men and experienced men and players who’ve been there and done it and fantastic age and profile.”
Exeter did have moments, particularly late on, but rarely created clear-cut chances against a defence that has been one of the division’s most reliable this season.
For Taylor, the conclusion was unavoidable. Looking at Lincoln’s physical presence, set-piece delivery and ability to manage tight games, he believes the signs of a Championship side are already there.
With ten matches remaining and a four-point lead at the summit, the table suggests the same thing Taylor saw from the touchline.