Glentoran captain Marcus Kane has been talking up the attitude and application of on-loan defender MJ Kamara, who has recently broken into the side.
The 19-year-old is on a season-long loan with the NIFL side, who are challenging at the top of the division. His game time has been severely limited, and some Imps fans were calling for his return in recent weeks.
After impressing at Peterborough Sports, this loan was a crucial step up in quality, and while he’s had to be patient, the young defender has now got himself a starting place.
It’s a place that he waited for, and that’s earned the respect of captain Kane, who says he can see the growth now MJ is settled.
“MJ has been outstanding over the last couple of games. He is still very young and it has taken him a little bit of time to settle into the side after coming in from Lincoln City towards the end of the transfer window, which is natural, but you can see now that he is really starting to grow into the role.”
Injuries to key players have forced manager Declan Devine’s hand, but it is the ‘no-nonsense’ comments which City fans will like. MJ has been credited with having that approach, the sort of defending that fans really like to see.
“He stepped in after the injuries to Shane (McEleney) and Ciaran (Coll) and he has taken that opportunity brilliantly. His attitude has been first class. He is athletic, he is committed and he defends properly with a real no-nonsense approach that you need in this league.”
🤝 First-year scholar Michael-John Kamson-Kamara has signed a long-term contract to commit his future to the club.#WeAreImps
— Lincoln City FC 🇺🇦 (@LincolnCity_FC) February 23, 2023
Having developed with Bromley before joining the Imps at U16 level, he signed his first professional deal in February 2023, aged just 17, tying his future to Sincil Bank on a long-term contract. His first exposure to senior football came in non-league with a season-long loan with Barwell in 2023–24, which gave him regular competitive minutes.
In August 2024, he stepped up to National League North with Peterborough Sports, where his maturity was again evident. Despite spending most of the season away, MJ made his Lincoln City first-team debut in October 2024, coming off the bench in an EFL Trophy tie against Grimsby Town.