"Didn't really work" - Michael Skubala urged to drop Lincoln City summer signing v Stockport County | OneFootball

The Imps were well beaten by Crawley Town on Tuesday evening, and will be looking for improvements this weekend.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Lincoln City fell to their second League One defeat in a row on Tuesday evening, as they were beaten 3-0 by Crawley Town at Broadfield Stadium.

Second-half goals from Will Swan, Ronan Darcy and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy proved to be the difference between the two sides, as the Imps missed out on the opportunity to go 5th in the table.

It was a very disappointing performance from Michael Skubala's side, who had been beaten on Saturday by Birmingham City in convincing fashion at the LNER Stadium, and they now head into this weekend's clash with Stockport County hoping to get out of this mini-rut.

Changes could be aplenty for Lincoln considering the manner of defeat against a team expected to be in and around the relegation zone come the end of the season, with their opponents on Saturday a potential challenger for the top six.

Skubala urged to make change to midfield against Stockport

While it has been a relatively good start for Lincoln, supporters might have been hoping for more on Tuesday, and the way that they conceded the goals will be a huge frustration for Skubala.

Crawley found it far too easy to break out from the defence, and perhaps should be a little bit irritated themselves that they did not score another through Hepburn-Murphy as he pushed a chance wide before sealing the win in the final moments.

Nevertheless, this weekend presents an opportunity for the Imps to get back to winning ways, and a change to the starting XI will be necessary according to Football League World's Lincoln Fan Pundit, Gary Hutchinson.

When asked by FLW which player he would drop for the Stockport clash, he said: "It's a hard question to answer because the whole team was off it.

"Some of the players, the likes of Ethan Hamilton, for instance, was coming back from a long-term injury. Dom Jefferies, who actually I thought had a decent game, was playing in midfield, which he hasn’t been doing. The two wing-backs swapped, Eric Ring and Tendai Darikwa, which for me didn't really work, and I think that's probably the one change that I would make.

"If we’re going to play Erik Ring, it really does have to be on the left. Darikwa is settled on the right, and it adds us some balance, so for the next game on Saturday, against Stockport, I would probably pop Ring back on the bench."

Gary continued: "He was a little bit disappointing on Tuesday, so I’d put Jefferies at left wing-back and then in the midfield you look for something a little more regular, like Ethan Erhahon in the holding role with Conor McGrandles potentially coming in there for Ring. But obviously he'll be playing in central midfield along with whoever else.

"I probably would give Hamilton a rest, having played 70 minutes on Tuesday, so I may drop him as well and bring Jack Moylan back into the side to add a little bit of spark to the attack."

Lincoln must find improvements quickly

As is the nature of football, Lincoln must quickly lick their wounds and get ready to face a very competitive Stockport side.

While the visitors to the LNER Stadium on Saturday have had a slight dip in form since the start of the campaign, they have still only lost one game this season. They have adjusted extremely quickly to League One following their promotion, and containing Louie Barry will be crucial to the Imps getting a result.

Therefore, Skubala must get his team selection correct, and packing out his midfield appropriately is a must. Ring must play in his more natural position if he is going to play, as the Hatters have a lot of quality on the ball in the middle of the park, and they will want to get themselves back to winning ways after three draws in a row.

Victory for Lincoln on Saturday could put them back into the play-off places, and while it is still early days, it could be a huge three points in the battle for the top six.