Lincoln City Manager Makes Pre-Season Admission

Lincoln City head coach Mark Kennedy revealed he is pleased with the progress his side has made during pre-season, after speaking to the club’s official website.

The Imps drew 1-1 with National League North side Kings Lynn Town on Tuesday night, following a fitness camp in Spain. City spent the first week of July in Murcia, beginning their preparations for the upcoming season with a friendly against Stockport County.

Kennedy now feels his squad are progressing along nicely and are closer to being ready for the new Sky Bet League One Season.

Focus On Youth

The 47-year-old named four academy players in his starting line-up for Stockport, and with two different teams named for each half against the Linnets on Tuesday, a number of young players have enjoyed minutes under the Irishman.

Kennedy’s side has been boosted by the news that 20-year-old Sean Roughan has committed to the Imps until the summer of 2025, after much speculation about his future following the expiration of his contract.

Academy graduate Freddie Draper has also signed a new long-term deal at the LNER Stadium, following an impressive loan spell at Drogheda United, where he netted eight goals in 22 appearances for the League of Ireland side.

The League One club ranked as one of the youngest sides in the league last season, at an average age of just over 23.5. Their starting eleven in a 2-0 victory at Wycombe in April was the lowest average age in the EFL that season, which also included just one player over the age of 19 on the bench.

Lincoln confirmed that 30-year-old elder statesman Joe Walsh would depart the club in June, after the Imps opted not to renew his contract. As Reeco Hackett-Fairchild is the oldest of the four summer recruits so far, at just 25 years of age.

What’s Been Said:

Following a 1-1 draw to King’s Lynn, Kennedy spoke about his side’s development and where they are at in pre-season.

He said: “It’s all about getting minutes in. It’s a fitness exercise, and it’s 100% better than training.

“But at this stage the focus is on fitness, everybody getting minutes and kilometres into their legs, and hopefully coming through unscathed.

On the young players, he added: “We love working with them. They bring attitude, endeavour, enthusiasm and professionalism – they’re a joy to work with and to have around. They train well and do themselves proud every day.

“We have to be mindful that we don’t want to stunt their development or knock it back. I’ll be really pleased if someone comes out of the fire and we have another Sean Roughan.

“I couldn’t think of anything better, but it would be unfair to make those judgements now. They’ve been a pleasure to work with and they’ve done brilliantly.”

Writer’s View

It’s always hard to read much into pre-season results, and it’s almost poetic how the side that drew 20 games in League One last season has begun preparations with a further two draws.

With a young squad comes continual improvement, and as the Imps look to build on last season’s 11th-place finish, there have been several promising additions in Alistair Smith, Reeco Hackett-Fairchild, Lukas Jensen and Jaden Brown.