Three Former Imps Sign Rival League One Deals

June 20, 2023 Gary Headlines, Lincoln City, News 0

Courtesy Graham Burrell

Three more former Lincoln City players have found new clubs today, and two will likely feature against us next season.

Josh Vickers had been linked with a move back to Lincoln by some earlier this summer, but instead, he’s joined Derby County, who will be pushing hard for promotion. The former Arsenal trainee joined the Imps on our promotion to the Football League, having previously played under Danny and Nicky on loan at Concord. His Imps spells were blighted by injury – 20 appearances in 12017/18 and 21 in our title-winning season.

Goalkeeping coach Andy Warrington left City for Rotherham, and when Vickers left the club at the end of the Covid season, during which he appeared 37 times, Rotherham snapped him up. Warrington and then-Rotherham boss Paul Warne are now at Derby, and Vickers reunites with them on a three-year deal.

Courtesy of Graham Burrell

Ambitious Derby have brought in a second former Imp today – winger Joe Ward. Ward came on loan from Brighton in the 2016/17 season but only played a handful of matches. He appeared twice in the National League, once as we drew 1-1 with relegated York City and again as we were thrashed 3-0 by Barrow. He did play in the FA Trophy a couple of times, scoring twice against Welling. Oddly, he also came on away at Burnley and played almost thirty minutes of our FA Cup quarter-final against Arsenal.

Ward had been offered a new deal by Posh, but he’s turned that down to move to Paul Warne’s Rams, who will surely be among the favourites for promotion this season, despite losing out on a play-off place to Ward’s Peterborough last season.

The third former Imps to secure a deal is not quite as well known – unless you went to our 3-0 win against Rotherham in 2019/20, you won’t have seen him play. Ben Coker joined as a project of Danny and Nicky, but he never really got fit. He arrived injured, picked up a fresh injury on top of his first one, and then was not fancied by Michael Appleton, appearing just once before his departure.

Coker left us for Stevenage, playing 84 times across two seasons, before moving to Solihull Moors, where he played 33 times last season. He remains in the National League but moves closer to his hometown of Hatfield in joining Barnet.