Most good news articles about Lincoln City players give me pleasure, but some give me much more pleasure than they should.
Jovon Makama is a name that’s split opinion for a while, whispered in conversations about potential, included on team sheets with an ambiguous shrug. But in March 2025, Jovon’s name being shouted from the rooftops of Sincil Bank. The young forward has just been nominated for the Sky Bet League One Player of the Month award – and for good reason.
Five goals and three assists is sort of form that gets noticed. That’s the sort of form that makes you sit up and realise a player has turned a corner. And in Jovon’s case, it’s a corner he’s been threatening to turn for a while, but for various reasons – be it development, opportunity, or system – he hadn’t quite managed it. We saw glimpses, Reading at home before Christmas, but that was often followed by misses that clouded people’s judgement, Stevenage at home on January 4th, for example.
Let’s be honest – some City fans had grown restless. There were questions: Was Makama really League One ready? Could he justify a place in the squad ahead of more experienced forwards? Was there end product behind the energy?
He’d shown flashes. A solid stint on loan at Gainsborough, a goal here, a moment there. But at Lincoln, it hadn’t quite clicked. There was tasty potential, but doubters were quick to say it wasn’t enough, even as he moved from his late teens to very early 20s. That was, until a seemingly small tactical shift changed everything. He moved out to the right wing, where he could run at defenders and cut inside, and Makama’s game blossomed.
In March, he became unplayable. The highlight, without a doubt, was that stunning hat-trick against Bristol Rovers – his first in professional football – as the Imps romped to a 5–0 win. But it wasn’t just about the goals. His overall contribution was immense. He set up teammates with vision and awareness that hadn’t been seen as part of his game before. He pressed with purpose, made defenders uncomfortable, and played with a confidence that seemed to say, ‘This is what I can do’.
And maybe it’s that self-belief that’s finally clicked. After signing a new three-year deal in October 2024, there were social media murmurs of whether the club had perhaps shown too much faith. Now, in my opinion, any doubts have been put to bed. Here’s one of our own, once a 16-year-old in our academy, now a fully-fledged first-team player approaching 100 outings.
Of course, this isn’t just about one good month. But what March has done is show us the player Jovon Makama can be – and perhaps always was. He’s no longer the raw prospect being farmed out on loan. He’s a key part of the matchday squad. A threat and a problem for defenders. It is a reason to get excited when the team sheet drops at two o’clock on a Saturday.
Makama finds himself up against some strong contenders for the award – Blackpool’s Ashley Fletcher, Charlton’s Macaulay Gillesphey (who scored against the Imps), and Wrexham’s Arthur Okonkwo. But whatever the outcome on April 11, he’s already won the respect of the fans who were once unsure.
From an unfairly divisive figure to a March standout – Jovon Makama’s story isn’t anywhere near properly started, but this early chapter? It’s been a belter.
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