Another Irish Star Falls Onto Imps Radar

May 30, 2024 Gary Lincoln City, Rumours, Transfers 0

The Imps are being credited with an interest in 19-year-old Glentoran prodigy Johnny Russell, according to the Belfast Telegraph.

While all eyes are seemingly on Scandinavia, we may well be fishing back in familiar waters over the summer. It has proven to be a good place in the past, having caught Dylan Duffy and Jack Moylan there, but we lost Senan Mullen and Trai Hulme from the hook.

Russell is a left-sided full-back who has been with The Glens since the age of ten. He made his competitive debut as a 17-year-old at the start of last season in a 1-0 County Antrim Shield win alongside Terry Devlin and Conor Haughey, both of whom have since moved to England.

This season, he appeared 26 times for his team, helping them to finish fifth in the Northern Irish Premier Division. Almost all of those appearances were at left back or left wing back, but a handful also came at left centre back. In March, he was capped at Under 21 level by Northern Ireland, playing 17 minutes of their 2-1 victory against Spain in the U21 European Championship Qualifying phase.


Football runs in his family’s blood; his dad, Jeff, also turned out for Glentoran, as well as appearing for Larne in the eighties. He praised his Dad’s influence upon penning a new deal with Glentoran in November, saying, “My Dad was a big influence on coming to the Oval, and he’s driven me from Larne for training and matches since I was 9. He’s put a lot of miles into my football and I have so much to thank him for.”

In April, Russell scored an unfortunate own goal against Larne which prompted manager Declan Devine to come out in support of a player he labelled as ‘outstanding’. “There’s absolutely zero blame at Johnny Russell’s doorstep tonight because he is the future of the club,” said Devine. “He’s an outstanding player who gives everything of himself and tonight will hurt him.”

As well as growing talent and a glowing reputation, Russell also has a huge throw on him, which could almost be as good as corner. Back in December his throw resulted in his side’s third goal of four in a resounding 4-0 win against Linfield.

If we are looking at Russell, it won’t be the first player we’ve watched at the Oval. We’ve previously been linked with a move for Aaron Wightman, a teammate of Russell’s who has also caught the eye of Stoke City. That interest was reported almost a year ago to the day, so it could be that the Imps are just routinely watching Glentoran games, and the media over there are putting two and two together to make five.

Or, we could be watching a player who does sound like he is destined for a decent future in the game.