Following the Lincoln City journey has been a privilege. Now in the Championship comes something even more fascinating: the only joint head coaches in English football. I spent a day with Chris Cohen, Tom Shaw and their staff to tell the story...
In the corner of the head coaches’ office at Lincoln City’s training ground, where something new seems to have been built every time I come, is a framed photograph. It is of Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw, arms around each other with three of their respective children. It was taken on the pitch as Lincoln celebrated winning the League One title.
Last year was arguably the most impressive season of any English football club in the last decade (personally I don’t even think it’s close to being matched). Lincoln, with a bottom-half budget, got the second highest ever points total in the third tier. I was fortunate to be on the pitch as promotion was celebrated at Reading and stood for a while looking at a joyous away end. It was a mini-miracle, no exaggeration.
Then, Cohen and Shaw were the two assistant head coaches to Michael Skubala. This summer, Skubala took the Bristol City job and left Lincoln, as players and head coaches will do when the model is to be smart, buy low, develop and sell high.
