We did a ‘Guess the Imp‘ yesterday on Twitter, and it was, of course, Big John Akinde.
Akinde left the Imps before lockdown, but his contribution to our title-winning season should not be ignored. He was a divisive character, with some lamenting his lack of goals and others lauding his all-around contribution.
We thought it would be a good time to look back at Big John, using that power of hindsight.
John Akinde Pre-Lincoln
A powerful centre forward who marries physical presence with straight-line pace, Akinde’s journey began to gather momentum at Ebbsfleet United. He lifted the FA Trophy there and set up the Wembley winner before a supporter-led transfer took him to Bristol City.
The Championship move brought a carousel of loans, most fruitfully with Wycombe Wanderers, where he scored regularly, before a move to Crawley. He struggled in Sussex, netting once in 40 matches, and then moved to Portsmouth via Dagenham, with 11 goalless games.
It seemed he was drifting towards obscurity, and it was not until a reset in non-league with Alfreton Town that his career truly reignited. Nineteen goals in all competitions at the Impact Arena earned a switch to Barnet, and over four seasons, he became a club great: division-leading 31 goals in 2014–15 as the Bees won the Conference, multiple player of the year awards, and a club EFL scoring record.
At Barnet, he was widely regarded as one of the most lethal strikers outside the top flight. He scored against us in the 2018/19 season, earning the struggling Bees a draw. After 90 goals in 177 games, one every other game, we snared his services.
John Akinde At Lincoln
That summer, we were looking out for a top striker, and after being thwarted in our attempts to bring in Tyler Walker on loan, we turned to big John. There were warning signs he wasn’t quite the striker he had been – his final season at Barnet brought just seven goals from 32 outings, but he still felt like a big name.
The headlines make good reading. He top-scored in 2018–19 as City were crowned League Two champions, netting 17 in 52 games. His penalty prowess and hold-up play were central to Danny Cowley’s direct, front-foot style.
Across all competitions, he registered 25 goals in 81 appearances for the Imps, adding a PFA League Two Team of the Year selection to a season that restored the club to the third tier. He remained a focal point during the first half of 2019–20 before departing for Gillingham in January 2020, but not before bagging a brace in his final game as a sub against Bolton.
John Akinde In Numbers
How did Akinde’s numbers actually line up? He was seen by some as a big lump who didn’t work as hard as he should, while others praised his selective use of energy, not chasing lost causes. Danny Cowley was a huge fan, suggesting he made more goals than he scored with his running and, let’s be honest, we won the league with him leading the line.
Of his 17 goals, nine were penalties, giving him an open play return of eight goals – three fewer than Bruno Andrade and only one more than Harry Anderson. There were six assists from big John, just four from Andrade and three from Harry Anderson, suggesting Akinde was a more creative force than a scoring one. He was part of an overall side that looked effective, and perhaps defied the role of ‘striker’ as we knew it.
John Akinde v Matt Rhead
Creativity-wise Rhead edged it when comparing his 2017/18 to Akinde’s 2018/19. He posted more assists per 90 (0.27 to Akinde’s 0.14) and led the chance-creation markers with higher shot assists (1.01 vs 0.80) and xA (0.17 vs 0.07). He also attempted more progressive supply into dangerous areas: through passes per 90 were notably higher (1.07 vs 0.35), and his forward-pass volume was greater (around 10.1 per 90 vs c. 4.29 for Akinde), even if the accuracy was lower. Akinde contributed some width with more crosses (0.68 vs 0.27), but his accuracy was lower, and his creative threat was more about carrying than threading.
Aerially, Rhead was the standout. His aerial duel volume was higher and his success rate was superior, winning 55.6% of 21.6 duels per 90 compared with Akinde’s 39.7% from 16.6 duels. That profile fitted the eye test from 2017/18: Rhead gave a reliable first contact, a platform for territory, and a consistent target for direct play and set-pieces. Akinde still offered a contestable outlet, just not at the same win rate, and showed more running and energy, something the numbers could not define.
In open play, Akinde brought the more modern, on-the-move threat. He shot a little more (2.07 vs 1.64 per 90) with a higher xG (0.44 vs 0.29) and returned more goals per 90, albeit with penalties included (0.35 vs 0.24). His carrying was a differentiator: far more dribbles attempted and completed (3.45 at 56.5% vs 0.36 at 41.7%), plus more touches in the box (4.51 vs 3.18). He also kept the ball tidily under pressure, with better overall pass accuracy (70.5% vs 60.7%) and more defensive-duel involvement, which suggested useful counter-press actions and hold-up under traffic.
If you wanted a classic reference point who tilted games through aerial control and chance facilitation, Rhead’s 2017/18 data said he was your creator-target, supplying teammates and winning the first ball. If you wanted penalty-box threat via carries and shots, plus tidier link play into feet, Akinde’s 2018/19 offered the greater direct goal threat and ball progression on the deck, with less aerial dominance and a lighter pure-creation output.
Either way, one striker helped us win the Checkatrade Trophy and then got us into the play-offs, the other helped us win League Two. They’re both powerhouses of the era, right?
John Akinde Post-Lincoln
John left the Imps for Gillingham in the January 2020 transfer window, days after coming on and bagging two against Bolton. Two seasons at Priestfield yielded a steady return and tireless shifts as a target man. By ‘steady return’ we mean nine goals in 81 outings, a huge drop from his pre-Lincoln ratio.
A mid-season move to Colchester United followed in January 2022, where he scored 12 goals from 86 outings. Released in the summer of 2024, he joined Braintree Town and continued to contribute at National League level, with ten strikes in 54. It will surprise nobody to learn five of those have been from the spot.
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