Cian Bolger

Bolger was a surprise signing when he arrived, having dropped out of League One to play for us. Much was made of his disagreements with Joey Barton, and a proposed move to Hull fell through, making me think we’d got a big star. In truth, he struggled at City – I always liked Cian, but he came across as very quiet, possibly even a little withdrawn. His progress was further impacted when the manager who signed him, Danny Cowley, left. Michael Appleton’s football didn’t suit the big centre-back, and he looked frustrated. I recall his red card against Shrewsbury as one example, and him shouting at the crowd after being lamented for playing out from the back.

After us, he moved to Northampton and appeared against City, but more recently, he’s returned to Ireland, which doesn’t surprise me given the interviews I did with him. He’s currently with Larne, the same side we signed Jeff Hughes from, and he appeared in the Europe Conference League earlier this year.

Adam Crookes

Lincoln-born Crookes might not have arrived through our youth system, but he did get to pull on his hometown club’s colours, courtesy of a loan move from Forest. The former Mid Lincs Youth player (St Helens) had a trial with the Imps in 2018 and earned a loan deal from Forest. He made four appearances, one as we lost 4-1 at Blackburn Rovers in the EFL Cup, and four more in the EFL trophy.

He returned to Forest and was loaned to Port Vale, before he earned a permanent deal in Burslem. A change of manager saw him pushed out of favour, and he was released in 2021. He signed for Grimsby, and played 25 times for them in their promotion season, although he wasn’t involved in their play-off final squad. He was released by the Mariners at the end of the season, and he’s currently with York City, although he’s only started four games for them,