Michael Skubala admitted his play-off chasing Lincoln side were “distraught” after losing 2-1 to Wigan.

The Imps had three goals disallowed as their impressive 16-game unbeaten run, which stretched back to New Year’s Day, was ended by Latics at Sincil Bank.

Jonny Smith opened the scoring before Daniel Mandroiu levelled the scoring.

But Charlie Hughes’ stoppage-time strike was a dagger into Imps’ hearts in their play-off chase.

They are now five points behind Oxford ahead of a massive clash at the Kassam Stadium on Tuesday night.

“We’re gutted,” said Skubala. “We’re gutted because we know we wanted to keep trying to win.

“We wanted to throw everything at them. We started really slowly. We got into the ascendancy but we couldn’t get that second goal.

“These lads give everything. There’s nothing prouder than this run. We’re creaking a little bit because we haven’t got the numbers really.

“We had somebody come and give us the Peterborough score, so we decided to give it everything. We were happy to risk it to try and get another goal.

“We’ve been hurt because we’re trying to risk it to try and win the game.

“We’re gutted. The lads are distraught, but there are nine points to play for so we’ll go to Oxford and give it everything.

“We didn’t start like ourselves. We were nervous, we were tentative. Last 20 minutes we were ourselves and aggressive.

“It was the first time I’ve seen some nerves in the group. But it’s new to us. It’s understandable.”

Latics secured a first win in five to throw a spanner in the works of Lincoln’s play-off bid, and boss Shaun Maloney said: “It was a brilliant performance, in different ways as well.

“The first 30 minutes was as high a level as we’ve shown in a game this season.

“The first goal that we scored was top class. When you watch that first goal and the talent in that move it was a real joy to watch.

“I’m trying to build this team back up. I’ve been really honest with the team. The level did drop at Blackpool, but after that we’ve been top class.

“When we had to put bodies on the line, they did it. They went to the death and there were a few players really having to dig deep there at the end.

“The first goal was started by Charlie and was an amazing start of play and with any sort of strike he’s so clean when he hits the ball.

“I really challenged the players. With the season, we’ve achieved what we will achieve, but you still want to win, so I’m really pleased.”

Lincoln boss Michael Skubala hailed his free-scoring side after they hammered Bristol Rovers 5-0.

The impressive Imps took their recent tally to 16 goals in three games with another fine display at Sincil Bank.

Luton loanee Joe Taylor will get the plaudits for a first professional hat-trick, sandwiched between captain Paudie O’Connor’s opener and Reeco Hackett’s late fifth.

Anthony Evans missed a penalty for the visitors, who had a man advantage for the last 15 minutes after Ethan Erhahon was sent off.

“We started well again,” said Skubala, whose side are two points off the play-off spots after a 13th game unbeaten.

“We talk about starting bright, starting fast, and we did that.

“I just said to the boys this is what we do. If you’re going to come and play us you have to be on it.

“Scoring five goals was fantastic. You saw us scoring goals, but we needed our keeper today. Big man Lukas was fantastic. Those are the things that don’t get mentioned when you score loads of goals.

“You saw his and Paudie’s quality today. As much as we talk about goals, we’re getting clean sheets as well. I thought those two were fantastic today.

“I don’t know how many Joe’s scored. I just like people scoring goals. Joe at the minute, his positioning in behind is fantastic.

“He’s improving all the time. That’s why he came here. He’s a real threat to anybody.”

Rovers boss Matt Taylor understandably cut a frustrated figure after his side were put to the sword.

He questioned his players’ desire with a number of them out of contract in the summer.

He said: “We started the game so poorly. There were some diabolical moments, defending for the goals.

“The script was set in terms of what to expect from them. It looked like some couldn’t match it and some looked like they didn’t have the mindset to match it.

“The first goal was embarrassing. Their goals are diabolical defending. They’re my responsibility.

“All I ask is they take more personal pride in their performance. That first half an hour was too poor a showing for me to accept.

“There’s a bigger picture which we all know about. Is that affecting some players on the pitch at the moment? You’re only damaging yourself if you play like that. You only damage yourself and damage your own futures.

“Clarity’s all I need going forward and that’s taught me a little bit more about some of the personality.

“It’s irrelevant about the chances we created. We’ve said so many times about being good about creating, but five goals against. It’s irrelevant.

“You can’t look like a good footballing side at times if you can’t do the basic fundamentals of defending a football game.”

Lasse Sorensen scored a goal of the season contender as in-form Lincoln stretched their unbeaten League One run to nine matches with a 3-0 defeat of Shrewsbury.

The Danish full-back found the top corner from the right touchline to add to earlier efforts from Teddy Bishop and Reeco Hackett as the Imps emphatically tamed the Shrews at Sincil Bank.

Chey Dunkley poked an early effort wide for Shrewsbury before City went down the other end and took the lead.

Hackett’s corner was headed back across goal by Paudie O’Connor to Joe Taylor, whose shot was blocked, with the rebound falling to Hackett whose effort was then kept out, only for Bishop to find the net.

Bishop curled a 20-yard free-kick just over and then Hackett missed a golden chance to double City’s lead nine minutes into the second half, drilling wide when put through by Ethan Erhahon.

Hackett made amends just four minutes later, though, smashing a left-footed shot into the top corner following a delightful back-heeled pass from Taylor.

Hackett and Taylor were thwarted by Shrews goalkeeper Harry Burgoyne within a few seconds and then Sorensen drove into the side-netting as City went for the jugular.

A third inevitably came after 67 minutes with an incredible effort from Sorensen.

The hosts had won a penalty after Ben House was brought down by Burgoyne.

Bishop struck a post from the spot, with the ball rebounding out to Sorensen on the right wing. The Dane instinctively let fly, with the ball arcing into the top left-hand corner of the net.

Taylor Perry finally had the Shrews’ first shot on target after 70 minutes but Lukas Jensen produced a routine save.

Lasse Sorensen scored a goal of the season contender as in-form Lincoln stretched their unbeaten League One run to nine matches with a 3-0 defeat of Shrewsbury.

The Danish full-back found the top corner from the right touchline to add to earlier efforts from Teddy Bishop and Reeco Hackett as the Imps emphatically tamed the Shrews at Sincil Bank.

Chey Dunkley poked an early effort wide for Shrewsbury, before City went down the other end and Hackett’s corner created the opener.

Joe Taylor’s shot was blocked, with the rebound falling to Hackett whose effort was then kept out, only for Bishop to fire his effort into the bottom corner.

Bishop curled a 20-yard free-kick just over and then Hackett missed a golden chance to double City’s lead nine minutes into the second half, drilling wide when put through by Ethan Erhahon.

Hackett made amends just four minutes later, though, smashing a left-footed shot into the top corner following a delightful back-heeled pass from Taylor.

Both Hackett and Taylor were thwarted by Harry Burgoyne within a few seconds and then Sorensen drove into the side-netting as City went for the jugular.

A third inevitably came after 67 minutes with an incredible effort from Sorensen. The hosts had won a penalty after House was brought down by Burgoyne. Bishop struck a post from the spot, with the ball rebounding out to Sorensen on the right wing. The Dane instinctively let fly, with the ball arcing into the top left-hand corner of the net.

Taylor Perry finally had the Shrews’ first shot on target after 70 minutes, but Lukas Jensen produced a routine save.

Lincoln boss Michael Skubala was “really impressed” with his side as they beat 10-man Fleetwood 2-1.

It was a first home win for the club since mid-October as they secured back-to-back victory by coming from behind at Sincil Bank.

Promise Omochere opened the scoring, but Bosun Lawal’s sending-off after a melee in first-half stoppage time turned the game on its head.

Returning Ben House and Lasse Sorensen struck inside five second-half minutes to secure a welcome win.

“It’s nice,” said Skubala. “When you play at home against Fleetwood, you know there’s an expectation to get a result.

“I was really impressed with how we dominated the game in the second half. In the end the quality showed.

“Lukas made a mistake and first thing he did was apologise for the lads. He’s had a great season for us, so we allow him to make a mistake.

“It’s not easy against 10 men. We saw that against Burton, it can be tough mentally.

“There were some huge performances out there today. We controlled the second half really well.

“You have to be calm against 10 men. Wait for the moments and that’s what’s happened.”

And when asked his opinion on the dismissal, Skubala said: “I didn’t really see what happened with the sending-off.

“I think there was some confusion in terms of who to book.

“I didn’t hear what Lawal said, there’s a long way between us and the fourth official.

“All I know was there was a lot of hugging really. It looked like the ball was going into the box so I was looking at that.”

Fleetwood were bidding to win three straight league games for the first time since March 2021.

Boss Charlie Adam said: “We are on the wrong side of a mistaken identity and it’s cost us at the end of the day.

“We had real control of the game and once we scored the goal we had a real tempo.

“It’s a big disappointment for us with the circumstances surrounding the result. But I’ve told the lads in the dressing room that they have to roll their sleeves up and move on to Tuesday now.

“It’s always tough to take when something like that happens, but you can’t change it.

“We played really well in stages. We controlled the game and then it turned on a decision.

“I’m really pleased with the performance from the boys. We roll our sleeves up and go again.

“That’s all you can do.”

Derby boss Paul Warne was left counting his lucky stars after his side’s 0-0 draw at Lincoln.

The promotion-chasing Rams dropped points for only the third time since the end of October at Sincil Bank.

But it could have been worse if it was not for inspired goalkeeper Josh Vickers, who produced a string of fine saves to frustrate the win-shy hosts, whose winless league run stretched to eight games.

Warne said: “It could have been a lot worse, it could have been a bit better. That’s my view of it. We just didn’t do enough to take a chance.

“We have an attitude to take a risk. We want to win every game, we feel we have a responsibility to get promoted to try and win as many games as we can; away from home or at home, that’s the way we play.

“Luckily, our goalie got us out of trouble. Sometimes you need that.

“I still thought we would have scored, a guilt-edge chance. But we didn’t. We huffed and puffed. We just didn’t have enough to win a game.

“It’s always the way if, for whatever reason, your two, three or four forwards, whatever you play with, can’t create a chance then you want more and more options.

“If I was really greedy I’d have 10 centre forwards with six on the bench and I’d keep flipping them.

“We can’t always rely on Tom [Barkhuizen], Collo [James Collins] and Nat [Mendez-Laing] to create something all the time, it’s impossible.

“You can’t go through the whole season being the best player. Although in fairness most of the time they are.”

Despite an elusive win going begging, Lincoln boss Michael Skubala was pleased with his side’s performance.

He was particularly impressed by young strikers Freddie Draper (19) and Luton loanee Joe Taylor (21), the latter being denied a goal in the second half by a clearance off the line.

Skubala said: “I’m really pleased. I thought they worked really hard.

“We created some big chances. I thought the game had everything from the lads and we were brilliant, without getting the win.

“I thought we looked a real threat. We had a 19 and 20-year-old up front and we saw how exciting their partnership can be.

“Freddie and Joe have a lot to learn but the signs were good.

“I was impressed with everybody. I thought they were all really good.

“I was disappointed for them because they deserved to win with the chances they created.

“Joe will be fine, he’ll be fine. He’ll score goals for us. If he starts scoring goals for us then he’s got a bright future.

“He’s got to score. They’re still young, still new to League One and that can’t be underestimated.

“Derby are a big team on a great run so I’m really pleased.”

Reading assistant James Oliver-Pearce revealed boss Ruben Selles apologised after being sent off during the 1-1 draw at Lincoln.

Nelson Abbey scored an own goal for the visitors after just three minutes before Harvey Knibbs secured the Royals a much-needed point in their fight for survival at Sincil Bank.

Reading had the ball in the net on two occasions before half-time, both through Paul Mukairu, but referee Bobby Madley whistled for a foul on the defender for the first before he was denied a second time by the offside flag.

And Selles was sent off when he kicked the ball away to stop the Imps taking a quick throw-in.

Due to English Football League rules, managers who are sent off are not allowed to talk to the media.

Oliver-Pearce, who took the club’s post-match media duties, said: “It was an impulsive reaction. They had a player running to take a quick throw and he tried to delay the restart.

“He was just trying to help the team. He apologised to the dressing room, it’s the first thing he did when he walked in.

“He doesn’t want to let the team down and wants to be out there to support them and the staff.

“I wasn’t aware of it as a rule personally. Apparently if the manager does it it’s a red, but if it’s one of us it isn’t.

“I’m not sure why it’s one rule for us and one rule for others. That’s the laws of the game. It’s a game we’re frustrated by because we had chances to win the game.”

Lincoln boss Michael Skubala was delighted to escape with a point after a below-par performance.

He said: “We’re relieved to get a point. We weren’t good today, let’s be honest.

“We neither effected their last line quick enough when we were trying to be direct or kept it well enough when we needed to.

“If you can’t win it, don’t lose it. That’s the story of the day for us.

“They work hard, sometimes not in the brightest way. They’re not very clever about it sometimes.

“In the end it was a big shift, a tough shift and it’s a point for us. Reading are a good side, they have some good players and we struggled to deal with them down the sides.

“I think it was offside from what I’ve seen. I think they’re fair the referees even though they went in our favour.

“I am aware of that rule now so I won’t do it. I’m not really interested in that, I just wanted to get our lads through that game.”

Deflated boss Andy Crosby criticised Port Vale’s naivety after Olamide Shodipo’s last-gasp equaliser for Lincoln saw his side’s winless run stretch to nine Sky Bet League One games with a 1-1 draw.

The Valiants looked set to land an elusive win after Ben Garrity’s first-half effort, but substitute Shodipo slid in late on to steal a share of the spoils at Sincil Bank.

Both sides ended with 10 men after Oliver Arblaster and Paudie O’Connor both saw red in an eventful second half.

“It feels like a defeat,” said Crosby. “It was naive defending at a crucial moment trying to win a ball you can’t win.

“The one clear-cut chance they have in the game and they score.

“It’s very raw and it’s tough to take at this moment in time.

“We lose a player in the second half and that’s naivety again. You’re on a yellow card and you give the referee a decision to make.

“The referee then evens the game up and we go 10-v-10 and they were in the ascendency then.

“A little lapse of concentration and we conceded late on. It’s frustrating.

“For all our good play we still missed chances. We’ve got to become more ruthless.

“This game is unforgiving, just like life sometimes. When you’ve got a team on the rack like then then you’ve got to score and take the game away from them.

“We’re 16 games in and we’re a really nice team to look at and from box to box but we lack that clinical edge. They’re got to find it themselves and we’ve got to find it collectively.”

The Imps recovered from a slow start, which frustrated the home fans, to seal a late point.

Interim boss Tom Shaw said: “It wasn’t a good start, but good sides and good players come through that and we’ve shown that with how strongly we’ve finished in the end.

“I thought we were outstanding with the ball 10-v-10. I thought we were bold with every tactical change we made.

“We’ve had 70 per cent of the ball in the second half and nine opportunities. It felt like we had an extra man.

“We were really pleased with how the lads went about it. There are two ways to try and chase it; you can either lump it into the box or play with more control. We challenged them to do that and they did.

“If the fans were frustrated then that’s something we’re trying to improve and evolve. But we don’t have the profile of a number nine so we have to try and find other ways to get into the box.

“I hope the supporters can see how well we executed that in the second half.

“We finished the game strong and ran out of time to win it.”

Derek Adams hailed his Morecambe players as “giant killers” after beating League One Lincoln 2-1.

The fourth-tier Shrimps came from behind to reach the second round of the FA Cup at Sincil Bank.

Lasse Sorensen fired the hosts in front in the first half before Burnley loanee Michael Mellon levelled on the stroke of half-time.

Tom Bloxham, on loan from Shrewsbury, won the contest with his first goal for the club.

Adams said: “It’s all about the giant killing and we’ve come here and we’re the giant killers because they’re a big player in League One.

“We could have been out of sight by the end and then they hit the post. But we’re through and that’s what it’s all about.

“It was always going to be a tough draw away from home against a mid-table team in League One.

“But we’ve come here on their own patch and won the game, so we’re delighted.

“We could have probably scored more goals. Tom could have had a hat-trick. The keeper’s made a brilliant save and then he’s had one cleared off the line.

“The game had everything. We could have been out of sight at the end, but we weren’t and then they hit the post.

“But all that matters is getting through and thankfully we’ve done that. It was an incredible performance from the players.”

The managerless Imps limped out at the first hurdle of the historic cup competition for the second year running.

Interim boss Tom Shaw said: “We started really brightly and the game plan was having a huge effect. If we had been cleaner in the final third we could have been two or three goals up.

“The final pass just got away from us and teams like Morecambe are always going to be in a game with the spirit they have.

“But after a brilliant start we have given them hope with a goal just before the break and we lost a bit of control.

“I have to apologise to the fans for no cup run this year and it is a shame because we looked so good before the game turned round.

“I’m really disappointed, as are the players. It’s a difficult one to take for sure for us.”