Former Imps midfielder Ted Bishop is no longer training with Charlton Athletic as he looks to secure a deal for the coming season.
Bishop was one of two contract rebels last season, offered new terms to sign for City, but eager to explore options elsewhere. Many felt the talented 28-year-old would end up back at the club, given some of the form he showed towards the back end of the season.
There’s some doubt over his ability to complete 90 minutes, week in, week out, but he put that to rest with lots of minutes towards the end of the campaign under Michael Skubala. He managed 2299 minutes last season, more than the previous campaign.
He could have been an asset with 15 goals and 11 assists during his time with the club, but after being offered a new deal, he stalled, investigating other options. As he waited, we moved, bringing in Tom Bayliss (2928 minutes in 23/24) and JJ McKiernan (3028 minutes).
That left Bishop out in the cold, but in recent weeks, he’s been training with Nathan Jones’s Addicks with a view to a permanent move. However, Richard Cawley has posted that Bishop is no longer with the Addicks, suggesting they are already ‘well-stocked’ in midfield. The same journalist has also suggested triallists may not want to keep playing in games as it risks injury, something Ted will be aware of.
The injury-prone tag attached to Ted isn’t entirely fair – across three seasons, he appeared 112 times for City, which is a shade under 38 games a season. He did suffer spells out – in 2022/23, he missed three months before Christmas, and he struggled to complete a season – in 2021/22, he finished on April 23rd, the following season on April 6th and the last season on April 7th.
Still, he started 80 matches, so while he wasn’t one who was ever-present, he was perhaps more consistent than many give him credit for. Also, with 26 goal involvements during his time here, he averaged a goal or assist every four-and-a-half matches, which is not a bad return for a player who came off the bench in 28% of his games.
It will be interesting to see where he ends up next. Cambridge seemed a suitable destination, a League One side in an area close to home, but whether they’re going to play the right football under Garry Monk is another question. I could see him thriving at Orient, especially with their brand of football and (again) the right location.
One thing is for sure, he won’t be at Charlton based on recent news.
There’s just one thing I’d like to add to this. Ted didn’t stall because he was exploring other options. He very much wanted to stay at Lincoln but was pushing for a two-year deal as he wanted to settle. When it became clear this wasn’t an option, he accepted the one-year deal he’d been offered. The club came back a few days later and said this had been withdrawn. This is all fair enough – he probably did hold out too long – but he was very happy at Lincoln and was gutted when it all fell through.
Hi Elaine – apologies, I hadn’t seen this comment before now. I appreciate you taking the time to offer some clarity.