The Imps kicked off the 2024/25 pre-season campaign with a steady 1-0 win against Championship side Preston in Spain.
Jovon Makama’s early goal was enough to give the Imps the win, but the result is not what is important in these instances. This was a good chance to have a run out against a decent opposition, get some minutes in the tank, and give supporters lucky enough to get time off work a chance to enjoy a few days out in Spain.
Analysing the game would be largely pointless, but there are talking points to come out of the encounter. We’ll look at a couple of those here.
Montsma Is Back
The big news was Lewis Montsma coming on as a sub, his first appearance in an Imps shirt since March 2023. After a 16-month injury ordeal, the defender is finally back and playing, fresh from signing a new six-month deal at the club.
It’s really easy to keep talking about how good it is we’ve shown faith, how great it is for Lewis he’s been supported so well and what an example of the human aspect of our club this is, but I’m not going to do that. You already know that.
I’m all about the football now, and a 26-year-old defender with Lewis’s undoubted potential, attitude and work ethic coming into the squad after more than a year away is a big boost. If he does get fit and back to even 90% of his previous levels, he’ll be a huge asset to the club.
It’s great to see him back, heart-warming and all that, but from a mercenary perspective, it’s good to have an asset back in contention for a starting spot.
Three Miss Out
One notable absentee was Tyler Walker. Reports I haven’t confirmed suggest he may have been walking around in a foot brace this morning, and he certainly didn’t take to the field during the game. We played two vastly different XIs in each half (give or take a couple of players), but Rob Street partnered Jovon in the first half, and Ben House played with Freddie in the second. There’s no need for alarm just yet, but we hope it is only temporary for Tyler’s sake, whatever the issue.
Ethan Hamilton was also absent, but I believe that was to be expected. If I recall correctly, it was assumed he would not be returning at the start of the preseason but rather eased in gently throughout the summer.
There was no place for Reeco either, but he has been seen in training videos and was pictured with supporters at the end smiling, which suggests a light injury, perhaps?
Dylan Duffy Played
It would be remiss to comment too much on Dylan Duffy’s situation, but he has been charged with betting breaches by the FA, so we await an outcome on that. However, right now, it is very much business as usual with the youngster, who played in the second period. I am holding off commenting on the situation until more details emerge, as it would be grossly unfair, but it is interesting to see that the club is keeping him involved.
What is interesting is that Chris Maguire was suspended as soon as he was charged back in 2022, but at present, Duffy remains very much part of the squad.
Formation
Finally, one aspect of the game is worth mentioning – the formation. A lot has been said about us maybe going back to a four, but out in Spain, we were almost certainly a 3-5-2, shifting more to a four in possession. Last season, the formation was very fluid, making it difficult to pin us to a certain setup, but on today’s evidence, we will be playing three centre backs, and then wing backs able to convert, like Optimus Prime, into something different when called upon.
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