Bolton Wanderers head coach Steven Schumacher is under no illusions of the scale of the task ahead as he prepares his side for a showdown against promotion rivals Lincoln City.
The two sides will meet at the LNER Stadium tomorrow afternoon in the standout fixture in League One. The Imps head into the clash six points clear of Schumacher’s team and with an additional game to play.
Therefore, it is a game which is viewed as somewhat of a must-win for Bolton. The Trotters are also targeting a place in the Championship and know that failure to gain at least a point will make their ambition of achieving a top two finish almost insurmountable.
Schumacher Calling On Recent Form To Upset The Odds
The Trotters have won their last four league outings, although three of those have come at the Toughsheet Community Stadium. However, this run has seen some belief creep in amongst the squad, which Schumacher is keen to build on tomorrow afternoon. Speaking ahead of the clash, the former Plymouth Argyle boss told official club media:
“The players and staff are all looking forward to it, we know how much it means and what’s at stake. We’re going to a team who have got one of the best home records in the division so we have to be there and give it our all and play as well as we can.
“That’s the challenge that you want at this stage of the season when third are going to second in the league. We’re trying to close that gap, it makes it exciting, so we’re looking forward to it.
💬 “It makes it exciting and we’re looking forward to it.”
Steven Schumacher’s pre-match thoughts ahead of Lincoln on Saturday. 📺⤵️#bwfc
— Bolton Wanderers (@OfficialBWFC) February 12, 2026
“They (Lincoln) have been consistent for a long time, that’s why they are where they are in the league and they’ve proved they are one of the best teams in the league, but we have got ourselves in a good vein of form lately as well, we’ve played well and got some big results so we go there with confidence and try and execute our game plan, cause them a few problems and see where it takes us.”
Bolton Win Would Change Promotion Landscape
Lincoln are by far the biggest surprise package in League One this season. They are currently on a huge 13-game unbeaten run – the longest in the EFL – and are targeting a place in England’s second tier for the first time since 1961.
🏆 City head coach Michael Skubala has landed the Sky Bet League One Manager of the Month award for January!
— Lincoln City FC 🇺🇦 (@LincolnCity_FC) February 13, 2026
Head coach Michael Skubala picked up January’s Manager of the Month award earlier today, which is the second time he has received the accolade this season. Furthermore, the Imps have lost just once in the league at Sincil Bank this season.
Another win tomorrow would see them move nine points above Bolton with 15 games remaining, but an away victory would open things up again. The neutral will perhaps be hoping for an away victory to keep the promotion race exciting.