Premier League side Crystal Palace have namechecked the Imps in their media output following the capture of Wales international, Brennan Johnson.
Johnson spent the 2020/21 season on loan at Sincil Bank, helping us get to within a whisker of the Championship. With 15 goal involvements across his League One stint, he was pivotal in our push to Wembley, and went back to Forest with a growing reputation.
His later move to Spurs saw him help them to a Europa League win, with him grabbing the winning goal in the final against Manchester United. He’s now moved to Palace, and they were quick to acknowledge City’s role in his progression.
On their official site, they penned a piece titled ‘Everything You Need To Know: Brennan Johnson’. In it, rather than just saying he had a loan spell at Sincil Bank, they waxed lyrical about our involvement.
Bearing the title ‘Made in Lincoln‘, they wrote the following about his time with us:
“A product of Nottingham Forest’s Academy, it was a spell on loan at Lincoln City that helped mould Johnson into the player he is today.
“The wide forward made 40 league appearances, scoring 10 goals for the Imps, playing a major role in them qualifying for the League One promotion play-offs.
“Johnson then scored in the 2-0 first leg win over Sunderland in the semi-finals, with Lincoln ultimately triumphing 3-2 on aggregate.
“There wasn’t a fairy-tale ending at Wembley, with Blackpool coming from behind to defeat City 2-1 – but for Johnson the season, and success of his team, played an important role in his development.”
What is quite funny is they make zero reference to his 29 goals in 101 Forest appearances after Lincoln, instead giving us the plaudits for his development, rather than their recent bitter rivals, Forest.
Brennan Johnson
When we secured Brennan Johnson on loan from Nottingham Forest in September 2020, it was viewed as a coup, but we didn’t understand just how big it was. Just 19 at the time, the winger arrived with a growing reputation but little first-team experience, and what followed was one of the most thrilling loan spells in the club’s modern history. Johnson slotted straight into Michael Appleton’s youthful, attacking side, making his debut away at Charlton and quickly showing his direct running and pace on the counter-attack.
His first goal came against Plymouth Argyle, where he demonstrated a knack for arriving at the right time to finish inside the area, but it was his all-around play that caught the eye. Perhaps the defining moment of his spell came in April 2021, when he scored an 11-minute hat-trick against Milton Keynes Dons, showcasing his composure and variety of finishing.
Supporters will remember the relentless energy with which he attacked full-backs, his link play with the likes of Jorge Grant and Tom Hopper, and the fear he put into opposition defences. He played 49 times in all competitions, scoring 13 goals, and was widely regarded as one of the most talented loanees ever to represent the Imps.
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