Lincoln City fans of a certain age might have a vested interest in Ligue 1 next season after one of our former players landed a role there yesterday.
Liam Rosenior, who is not a former Imp, was appointed head coach of RC Strasbourg yesterday, a club that finished 13th in the French top flight last season. “I’m happy to be joining Racing, a historic French club with fans that are well-known for their passion and their loyalty,” said the former Hull City and Derby County boss. “I’ll do everything that I can to make La Meinau proud of its team and of its players, and I can’t wait to arrive in Alsace and to get down to work.”
The Lincoln City connection comes via his assistant – Justin Walker. Imps fans of a 20th-century vintage will remember the cultured midfielder from his spell here. Slick and able on the ball, Walker’s stint was hampered by the fact we were tumbling towards administration. He was one of the casualties of the 2022 summer cull prior to Keith taking over.
Walker began his career at Forest but sprang to prominence with Scunthorpe, although he did suffer a relegation with them in 2000. He ditched the Iron in 2000, joining City, and for a couple of years, he was one of our best players. In his first season, wearing that awful quartered shirt, he made 53 appearances as the Imps finished 18th. He even won the Player of the Season award for the 2000/1 season.
The following campaign, we avoided the drop by ten points, and Walker helped us get seven of those in four consecutive matches. He struck a 90th-minute winner away at Bristol Rovers, who finished below us, and bagged a worldy as we won 3-1 at home against Carlisle. He also got our solitary goal in a 1-1 draw with Hartlepool which ensured seven points from a possible 12 – not bad for a side that only amassed 46 across the whole season.
After the Imps, he appeared for Exeter in 2003 (relegated), Cambridge in 2005 (relegated), and Chester in 2006 (not relegated). However, the teams he played for were not bad because of him, not at all.
He retired in 2008 after a spell at Ilkeston, and after many years on the Derby County coaching staff, he followed Liam Rosenior to Hull. Now, with Rosenior on the move again, Walker will be in the dugout as they face Monaco and PSG.
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